NY Times: Patent Claims Pop Up All Over the Internet

"Move over Al Gore. British Telecommunications is claiming that it invented the hyperlink."

"Dusting off a 14-year-old patent, the company is laying claim to ownership of the linking technology that lets Web users move around the Internet by clicking on text and pictures. It has begun sending letters to Internet service providers in the United States asking them to pay royalties...."

"Indeed, within hours after the news broke this week about British Telecom's patent claim, a Florida company said it had been notified by the United States Patent and Trademark Office that it will be awarded a second patent that significantly broadens coverage for its "sales lead generation technology."

Complete Story

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