Netflix Suing Blockbuster for Patent Infringement

grouchomarxist writes "Netflix is suing Blockbuster for Patent Infringement. From the article: 'Netflix holds two U.S. patents for its business methodology, which calls for subscribers to pay a monthly fee to select and rent DVDs from the company's Web site and to maintain a list of titles telling Netflix in which order to ship the films, according to the patents, which were included as exhibits in the lawsuit. The first patent, granted in 2003, covers the method by which Netflix customers select and receive a certain number of movies at a time, and return them for more titles. The second patent, issued on Tuesday, "covers a method for subscription-based online rental that allows subscribers to keep the DVDs they rent for as long as they wish without incurring any late fees, to obtain new DVDs without incurring additional charges and to prioritize and reprioritize their own personal dynamic queue -- of DVDs to be rented," the lawsuit said.'"

Worried!

[Anne Thwacks]

Does this also cover my shopping list at Asda (Walmart)?

I am really worried. Any minute now, someone will patent going to work by bus. (Including SCSI and VME)

a sad time

[tont0r]

next 7-11 will sue circle K because they both run the same business.

Re:Broken beyond repair

[mtenhagen]

Just wait until someone tries to change the patent system. I bet all patent systems are patented already.

What a disappointing post, BadAnalogyGuy

[hunterx11]

One hand washes the other, but your post is more like both hands waving apprehensively in the air because you weren't sure which one to wave but now you realize that waving both looks stupid but you've already committed to your decision and don't want to look like you did it on accident.

My beer shopping patent

[ip_freely_2000]

A method in which I look in the fridge on a regular basis and realize it is empty. I then get in the car and drive to the beer store to replenish my supply of beer.

You all owe me.

Re:Worried!

[dodobh]

Nah, we will patent going to work over the Internet.

I hold the Uber-Patent!

[Dekortage]

I hereby announce that I hold a patent on suing others for infringing on dubious patents. If you hold a patent of dubious nature, and you sue someone else over it, you owe me royalties.

And if you sue me over my patent, you still owe me royalties.

Re:Score another one...

[varmittang]

Nope, I got that patent already. And if you want to make a bowel movement, I got that one too. So pay up.

Re:Worried!

[Eccles]

I'm in the process of patenting my invention, I call it "money".

*Looks in wallet*

Well, I'm not infringing...

Re:a sad time

[QuantumPion]

1) Patent "the process of exchanging goods or services for finiancial reimbursement"

2) Sue the entire world, muahahahaha

3) Profit!

Re:a sad time

[chrismcdirty]

You can sue the entire country. You can only threaten to sue the entire world. The rest of the world will laugh at you because they don't have such retarded patent systems as the US.

Re:My friend at Netflix

[scribblej]

When blockbuster initially tried to compete with Nflix, the Nflix folks were a bit scared, including my buddy who was worried about the future of the company he helped develop - however, after Nflix's somewhat recent resurgence & increased user subscription, which in turn boosted the stock prices from all time lows, blockbuster has become a non-issue to Nflix (well at least to my buddy and most of the staff)

You got something against E.T.?

Eeeeeliiiiooooot...

Re:Worried!

[Eccles]

Now I'm going to go and patent using your wallet to hold air. Its a win/win baby!

I don't think so. I have waaaay too much prior art.

Re:Score another one...

[pNutz]

And if you want to make a bowel movement, I got that one too. So pay up.

I owe you quite a back log.

Re:Patents on business methods are stupid.

[jzfredricks]

It has long been said that: Imitation is the highest form of flattery. In the past copying products in a different form was alowd. You couldn't patten chicken noodle soup, but you could pattent a specific formula. This form of ideas is going to strangle us as a civilization, and lead to a few companies that control everything.


looks like you'll be able to paytent your novel ways of spelling patent!

Re:Worried!

[Bill Hayden]

#3 - NetFlix - never used it, and now, never will.

I'm one up on you there. I use it almost every month, but never pay for it. I just sign up for a new one-month trial each time the previous trial expires. So they're paying me to watch their movies.

Re:I hereby claim the patent!

[rk]

Y'know, I really get tired of this right-wing bashing of Al Gore. Of course he didn't invent pants, but he was instrumental in getting funding for the original ARPANTS which is what our modern high-speed pants derived from. So, while he of course doesn't know the technical underpinnings of interfacing, serging, hemming, and button-holing needed to make pants, he can, in some sense, take credit for our modern pants.