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EDTA |
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E-Data (symbol-GIFT) has "THE Internet Patent". It covers downloading software by payment by credit card, similarly downloading of any "digital data" by electronic means with simultaneous paymennt for it. It could be music CD, computer games, etc, etc.. As long as it is digital data that you simultaneously pay for on-line. Pretty incredible and "hard to believe" -but true! Oh, also covers paying to free up the complete version of a demo that's on a CD.
They bought this patent, called the Freeney Patent, Charles Freeney was a genious of an electronic engineer who envisioned all these capabilities that are so common now in the early '80's, got it patented in 1987 (or '86). Patents are good for 17 years.
E-Data (formerly Dial-A-Gift) had a release this week that said they had an important court date coming up in Fed Court, SDNY on 6/7 when 17 defendants, including CompuServe have to "face the music" for breach of this patent.
Here is the Web Site: icw.com
The implications are enormous. GIFT stands to license out for a fee the right to do this. So far IBM and Vocaltech have settled. Many more will settle or have to face "the music" in court. Last I check, 42 other companies were served with legal "Notices" of their infringement. If, after they are served and continue infringing, without a settlement, they stand to pay "treble damages".
GIFT stands to be entitled to a percentage of all this download for a fee, etc etc business that is expected to be a multi-BILLION dollar industry.
I and others have posted extensively on GIFT on Prodigy. Discussion can presently be found on Prodigy's Money Talk/MICROCAPITALISTS/MC-GIFT. Gary Grobbel brought this to my attn. I have done my homework, even read the whole patent, discussed its validity with one who was privy to this issue and an expert in the subject. If it were not for this, I would have dismissed it as a "too good to be true situation. Check it out. This is one you do NOT want to miss. Mel
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