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Patent ambush
Revision as of 15:59, 30 August 2010 by Ciaran (talk | contribs) (→Related pages on {{SITENAME}}: * When is patent abuse illegal?)
Patent ambush is where a patent holder waits until a technology becomes popular, or until a company becomes rich, before launching an unexpected patent suit. The patents used in a patent ambush are often called "submarine patents" (although this term's original meaning was only for a certain type of ambush).
This problem exists in all patentable domains but it is particularly unjust in the case of software because the use of software is essential to almost every company, and distribution and development of software is very common (keeping in mind that developing a website is software development).
Related pages on ESP Wiki
External links
- EU Tests Out Its New 'Patent Ambush' Antitrust Law On Rambus, Aug 2007
- EU Accuses Rambus of 'Patent Ambush', August 2007
- Wikipedia: Patent ambush (and Submarine patents)
- The Problem of Software Patents in Standards
- Definition of "submarine patent", describing patent ambush
- Court finds Qualcomm guilty of standards abuse, 8 August 2007 - the article lacks details - the ruling seems to form a defence against patent ambush, but what was that defence?
