These guys are totally out to lunch!
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Our content provider license covers teaser clips on the content provider's Web site and the one time ftp transfer of content files. These are the infringing acts covered by the content provider license.
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Is he actually saying that "DMT" covers the File Transfer Protocol just because the content happens to be a media file? What if the mpeg (or whatever) is enclosed in a zip file? Is that still covered by these ridiculous patents? Are they seriously saying that there patent covers ANY form of transfer of any video or audio file anywhere?
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Our agreements provide that if at any time the patents are held to be invalid or unenforceable, royalty payments immediately stop.
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Anybody notice anything wrong with that? He is saying that if they lose the various cases and the patent turns out to be no good you won't have to pay the royalties anymore. Isn't that generous of them? However what he does NOT say is that you will get the money that you paid into their scam back. Very interesting.
The whole mess is plain evidence that the special interests and big businesses have far too much power. When a company can patent the "idea" of a technology, without actually developing any technology at all, the whole system is made a mockery. If I think that in X number of years a certain thing will happen, say that a plastic will be developed that is harder than the hardest metal we have today, I should NOT be able to get a patent just on that alone. I should actually have to do at least SOME of the work towards developing that technology. But that is in effect what Acacia seems to have done. If you license their "patented technology" do you actually recieve any technology to use? No. You are simply allowed to continue using technology that other people developed.
Money talks and if you can hire enough attorneys and make enough political contributions it seems that you can accomplish almost anything, no matter how ridiculous. Witness the recent efforts to make copying a single file a felony punishable by time in jail.
Also look at the current situation regarding prescription drugs. These drugs are available in Canada at between 20% and 80% lower prices than they are in the US. Several small to medium drugstores in Canada decided to exploit that difference in price and sell to American consumers looking for a bargain. the major drug companies of course raised a stink. Citing the need to ensure the safety of the American drug supply they have moved to block the sales, and a couple of the drug companies have actually threatened to stop selling to any pharmacy in canada that sells to Americans. What a load of bullshit! Is Canada some third world country with lax or nonexistent controls on drugs? I think not. The fact is that the companies fighting to block the trade are the very same companies that manufacture the drugs they say might not be safe.
Rant over, lol.