Hyperlinking From CD To The Web Patented -- Plenty Of Software Companies Sued

Remember Acacia? It's the patent hoarder that buys up random questionable patents and then sues lots and lots of companies. Its most famous patent is for streaming media, which is number one on the EFF's list of patents that need to be busted. However, the company also has other patents. The latest is about to get a lot more attention. It's officially a patent for an information distribution system, but which Acacia claims actually covers having a hyperlink on a CD-ROM that links to a database, such as the web. Acacia has a subsidiary, called Disc Link, who is "monetizing" this patent by suing a ton of software companies, such as Oracle, SAP, Borland, Business Objects, Compuware, Corel, Eastman Kodak and Novell among others. Considering how many companies distribute CD-ROMs with links to the web, you can imagine how many companies can now be sued. How this concept could possibly be patented isn't explained -- not when there's plenty of money to be made by suing companies who are doing the most basic things that hyperlinks were designed to allow.