A more critical report on Jeff Bezos’ patent position from Wired News, which points out that his suggestions aren’t all that new. In fact, some people have been demanding shorter patent periods for several years now.
Amazon Calls for Patent Fix… Read the rest
Month: March 2000 (Page 4 of 5)
Think you’re a pretty good Web designer? How about a real challenge: Design a Web page under 5KB — including HTML, graphics, the whole bit. Now enter the contest:
the 5k award… Read the rest
No word on whether Macs are also susceptible to satanic possession:
THE REGISTER: US preacher finds demon-possessed PCs… Read the rest
Haven’t these guys heard about Swatch’s and the UK government’s efforts to do the same thing? And — hello? Does patenting time seem ridiculous to you, too, or is it just me?
BitWise files patent on Internet standard time… Read the rest
ICANN chair Esther Dyson terrified that democratically elected board members will lead to a tyranny of “People who are stupid, individually.”
Internet Board Faces Heavy Opposition on Voting Plan
(free registration required to access)… Read the rest
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus — and the billionaire chief executives of enormous Internet commerce juggernauts do occasionally listen to the public. Jeff Bezos is calling for a reform of the patent system that would greatly shorten the life of software and business-method patents, to 3 to 5 years.… Read the rest
Consumer e-commerce still sucks: Almost half of consumers surveyed have had trouble making online purchases. 28% of would-be transactions never close because of site problems. Namely: pages that take too long to download and sites that are too confusing to navigate.… Read the rest
The WSJ reports this morning that VeriSign is acquiring domain-name registrar Network Solutions:
VeriSign to Buy Network Solutions In a $20.75 Billion All-Stock Deal… Read the rest
Controversial code governing the software industry and software consumers’ rights looks like it’s going through:
“One of the key provisions in UCITA is the transformation of what is now a sale … Read the rest
Yesterday, Wells Fargo and eBay teamed up to put some oomph behind eBay’s Billpoint service, which lets individuals collect payments from other individuals via credit card. Now, financial service companies X.com and PayPal are merging. And First Union dropped its suit against Paytrust.… Read the rest