Acadia Streaming Patent Contested

Anonymous Coward writes "Since last year Acadia Research has sent hundreds of letters to various porn web sites to arrange royalty deals, picking on the small fry before trying to take on well-heeled companies such as Disney. However, many small fries refused, and now 40 firms have joined forces and are embroiled in a suit with Acadia. Fish & Richardson (a prominent intellectual property law firm) have taken their case. The best part? CEO Paul Ryan's obvious sour-grapes-syndrome, he goes from describing the web porn industry as a "billion-dollar industry" where the money is to a "sideshow" that's "maybe 1% of our potential revenues". Check it out here"

Amazon

[kmac06]

In other news, Amazon plans to sue every site on the internet that uses cookies, as well as Microsoft for allowing sites other than Amazon to stores cookies.

Uh Oh...

[FFtrDale]

Is Acacia going to file a patent application for sex, too, along with their patent on streaming video? We know that the US Patent Office hasn't been too alert about prior art...

Yeah, yeah, go ahead & reply w/ the obligatory joke about /.ers "not having to worry about getting sued for infringement."

Slapped...buckling...

[canning]

Eight firms agreed to Acacia's terms. But 40 didn't, and Acacia promptly slapped them with lawsuits. Rather than buckling, though, several of the porno sites joined together and stood their ground. Now Acacia is in the fight of its life and may even face a shareholder revolt as a result.

Searching for sexual innuendos..... searching......

Note to Editors and Posters

[Entropy_ah]

Don't EVER post a story about porn sites and end it with a link entitled "Check it out here"
You really got my hopes up :(

How long before...

[cyril3]

your bad English gets you into trouble with Disney.

sent hundreds of letters to various porn web sites to arrange royalty deals, picking on the small fry before trying to take on well-heeled companies such as Disney.

I imagine they will feel insulted at being called a well heeled porn site.

The Pron Horde

[Nemus]

Considering the fact that theres like, what, a half a billion + websites that doing streaming video, can you imagine the sheer awesome might of a nearly industry wide class action lawsuit against these guys?

It would be like a massive horde of little white knights rushing to breach......wait. Lets not go there.

Slogan for the 40 companies fighting back...

[SensitiveMale]

No mean no!

Re:Uh Oh...

[Anonymous Coward]

Are you kidding me? With as little actual work as they do I'm convinced everyone at the patent office spends 99% of their time banging chicks! That's the only explanation I can come up with. I'm guessing they'll spot the prior art on that one...

Re:Slapped...buckling...

[antibryce]

Searching for sexual innuendos..... searching......

You must be using MSN's search engine. Here's the output from Google:

Searching...82374982734987298347289347982 Results found.

Hope that helps. :)

Simple Solution

[cranos]

Make them watch twenty hours of Ron Jeremy, they'll buckle quicker than Asia Carerras panties come off

Why post as AC?

[FFtrDale]

You'd get karma points for being modded up as Insightful and Funny!

Re:Amazon

[cujo_1111]

"This is a travesty to the legal system," complains E. Michael "Spike" Goldberg, chief executive officer of the company that owns HomeGrownVideo.com, a site featuring amateurs performing various sex acts in their homes and other creative locales. "They've made a business model out of a loophole," he says of the broadness of Acacia's patent claim. "It's like they're trying to patent breathing."

Acacia may have tried to patent breathing, but the /. crowd got there first...

Let's show them how we feel!

[the gnat]

I think every healthy, freedom-loving Slashdot reader owes these porn purveyors our thanks. Each and every one of you should go subscribe to their services tonight - remember, you're doing it to protect innovation. If this angers your wife/girlfriend, tell her it's for a good cause.

Yeah. That'll work.

[FFtrDale]

Just as it did with liquor^H^H^H^H^H^H drugs^H^H^H^H^H umm... ?

Re:God bless US of A!

[FreeQ]

God i'll sue him Rotacorpse© was my idea ...

Re:God bless US of A!

[product byproduct]

I'm sure Thomas Jefferson is spinning in his grave.

Hmm, maybe that was the plan.

1. Install an alternator inside Thomas Jefferson's grave.
2. Abuse the patent system.
3. Sell the electricity generated by the alternator.
4. Profit!!!

Re:Failed Business Models

[Anonymous Coward]

All though I agree with your assessment, let me make some points. This event could have far reaching substantial consequences for all those involved and on the industry as a whole. I have experience with said individuals and although many things have been said about them, they are strong team players and a valuable asset to this organization. Irregardless, I have also been blessed with the opportunity to work with said technology and I can tell you that it will live up to it's potential and set new paradigms. Moving forward, it's time that all of us start thinking outside the box and work towards a greater synergy.

Re:yet one...

[_Sprocket_]

yet one... more case of Patents gone crazy.

Patents GONE WILD!

See hundreds of early, young patents exploited at www.patentsgonewild.com! TODAY!

Sign up now and get a bonus video stream: Patented College Pipedreams! Too hot for TV!

Re:A bit of infantilism in Forbes

[Bostik]

Actually, I found the ending quote of the article quite hilarious. A company that both provides and distributes porn flicks, saying "We don't need a partner for years and years."

That must be just too accurate a description of their clientele.

Fish & ...

[pfl]

Hey!

Where are Cage & McBeal?
What's the deal with Fish and that other guy? That "Richardson" seems suspiciously like "Richard"...