When I first read that another software provider offering a product within a crowded field of competitors had secured a patent, I thought the message was a spoof of the Blackboard patent. Red Herring reports that Friendster has secured a patent in the “social network” space.
Perhaps this situation offers a solution to those who object to MySpace. It may be determined that MySpace has violated Friendster’s patent. 😉
It is time for the software providers of yesteryear to rise up. I checked and the University of Washington still maintains PINE. I see PINE is a registered label, but has the Univ. of Washington secured a patent on email? There are probably earlier products, but PINE is about the limit of my personal experience.
