Even experts get it wrong
This post is a reply to this: http://ricrichardson.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/mojang-reaction-incredibly-strong.html
Specifically, to this portion:
3. Patents are there to stop people stealing a technology you invented and letting you have a fair shot at making a living from it. If Uniloc wants to test this in court it is there prerogative, the same way that Mojang contested the use of the copyright term “Scrolls” and took people to court.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/113531-Bethesda-Doesnt-Enjoy-Being-Forced-into-Mojang-Lawsuit
He’s confusing four very different things here. First of all, he calls it “stealing”, but nothing is lost from the victim in the case of using the same idea. In fact, you can break this law without even knowing that someone else thought of the idea first. This is one of the biggest problems with patents; there is no good safe way to find out if any idea you come up with is patented or not. Most other crimes require intent, patent infringement does not.
Then he goes on to compare patent infringement to copyright infringement, by bringing up when Bethesda sued US for trademark infringement, while implying that it was us suing them.
So in a single bullet point, he confuses theft, copyright infringement, patent infringement and trademark infringement. And confuses us with Bethesda.
Incidentally, the fact that they want to test this case in eastern texas doesn’t surprise me one bit.
