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The Evil Empire Patents Virtual Currency?
Che Guevara
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I just found this Microsoft patent.
United States Patent 20070136608: Off-line economies for digital media
It was published on June 14, 2007.
The patent covers the transfer of media between portable media devises, as well as a means for generating transaction receipts for the digital currency that changes hands during the transfer.
This patent seriously creeps me out. It covers various aspect of p2p media economies and seems to be pretty much a patent for virtual currency (negotiable value, static value, transaction receipts, etc) itself.
Could anyone else give this a read through?
United States Patent 20070136608: Off-line economies for digital media
It was published on June 14, 2007.
The patent covers the transfer of media between portable media devises, as well as a means for generating transaction receipts for the digital currency that changes hands during the transfer.
This patent seriously creeps me out. It covers various aspect of p2p media economies and seems to be pretty much a patent for virtual currency (negotiable value, static value, transaction receipts, etc) itself.
Could anyone else give this a read through?
Che Guevara on
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Microsoft has always been known as the Evil Empire.
Publishing a patent for money itself, the love of which is the root of all evil, just makes it official.
Seriously, as far a mega companies go, Microsoft is about as benevolent as they come. They have a great deal of flaws, but honestly, no one is going to respect, let alone take seriously the idea of a Microsoft "evil empire".
Or are you just too young to remember the 90s?
Either way, the Antitrust suit ends in November of this year... After which they'll still probably have to deal with the EU's suit against them, but they'll have free reign on North American soil once again.
Also... I'd suggest watching the movie 'Antitrust', which although being a completely fictional sendup of the company, is oddly enough being mirrored in the claims made by this patent.
The article compared this wave of patents to early electrical patents, because apparently when electricity was first introduced the patent office was giving patents on all kinds of old ideas -- just now with electricity! -- which is basically what a lot of these online patents are.
Sounds legit to me. My first thought is for portable devices with limited connectivity to the Internet. Something like using your PDA to get a soda from a vending machine. There's an offline transaction that allows you to buy a soda now. The vendor then pulls it off the machine weekly or so, then charges the banks.
Might not be the clearest example, but I think that's what this is for.
EDIT: I think I got this wrong. Ignore me.
If I sell you a copy of an MP3 directly from my MP3 player to your's, it will track the sale and deduct a portion to be sent to the musician/owner.
Really nothing to do with patenting currency of any kind.
Since my 360 got the 3 red lights.
Because, you know, the patent was made in the US.
And your name is Che Guevara.
Never mind.
Curse youuuuuu
But imagine what they're doing with that extra money from repairs and stuff.
I'm sure Microsoft as a company has shot a few puppies in it's time. You can't deny that!
Who hasn't shot a puppy? How else are you gonna make a puppy salad?
With Chicken. Duh.
(Play on the Asian food stereotype... but in reverse!)
THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!
This is CLEARLY Evil, people, what's wrong with you?
Playing the I'm older than you card on the internet. Brilliant. Especially since the responder did make valid points and acknowledge that the company is without fault. Regardless, they Evil Empire is slightly above the M$ flamebaiting is not something that's really productive around here.
If you have 4 red lights it means the video cable is not plugged in all the way.
3 red lights means you just got fucked :P
get it, I used a dollar sign, because it looks like an S, but also is the symbol for US currency, which Microsoft has a lot of
It seems that this kind of revenue sharing model could be incredibly beneficial. But MS has it patented, which means if anyone tries to implement it they can tax their model.
That and the only other company thats used the technology before the patent was issued was closed down by Windows Media Player and Vista 'security' updates.
I don't think a technology this important should be controllable by a private agency. It should be run by a non-profit like ICANN, with compatibility enforced for non-proprietary operating systems like Linux.
Combine that fact with his username for extra hilarity.
THE WHOLE POINT of patents is to do things like this?! I cannot honestly comprehend what leads to thoughts like this.
Imagine being able to trade/sell music, movies, games, books... everything digital media from a handheld device. But it's like having a new taxation system in regards to publishing your media, where M$ can claim a share of every sale, and no one is allowed to provide competing distribution models.
The whole point of patents is to obtain a monopoly, which they now have. In this case, patenting an 'offline digital media economy' is on the same level as patenting the wheel or fire in how it affects the future of the Internet.
The whole point of Antitrust suits is to prevent corporations from running roughshod over the rights of the public in preventing anti-competitive practices. In this case, they've already eliminated their only competitor by updating their code to block them from using their operating system. This is a step beyond what happened with the Netscape Antitrust suit.
Damnit, someone needs to find the PA strip about doing that.
Can't be... they can't mint their own money.
What do you mean? They've been doing it for some time now.
How so? Are you counting coupons?
But now only Microsoft has access to p2p 'offline' economies.
In the States, at least...
This is one patent I'd like to see the Open Source community violate all to hell.
Why does the firm have so much excess profit so as to endow bill gates with sufficient dough for the foundation? Because they leverage their market power to extract monopoly rents from helpless consumers and institutional clients.
Or the former Soviet Union.
Or the Rage Against the Machine album.
sketchyblargh / Steam! / Tumblr Prime
Ever hear of a gift card?
The last distribution system that used this patent was tied directly into Paypal. Any revenue accrued by either the artist or the fan would be exchangeable with other retail agencies.
Got it.
Moving on.
Really, why didn't someone patent this before?
It seems like a really good way to make some cash.
You're just pissed off that the evil monster under the bed did it.
One is dead.
One is something I could check out.
Actually, I'm a hardcore Windows pirate.
I tried installing Slackware again this week after a 10 year hiatus and gave up out of frustration.
But i still don't think music should be limited to a single proprietary platform.