From: jim bell <jimbell@pacifier.com>
Date: Thu, 21 Nov 1996 17:31:45 -0800 (PST)
To: "Alan Pugh" <cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Patent Fight Could Add to Cost of Inter
Message-ID: <199611220131.RAA28545@mail.pacifier.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 05:06 AM 11/21/96 CST, Alan Pugh wrote:
>
>By KATHLEEN SAMPEY 
>Associated Press Writer 
>
>NEW YORK (AP) _ A little-known patent could raise the cost of 
>doing business over the Internet for companies selling software, 
>video or other digital products delivered online. 
>
>E-Data Corp. of Secaucus, N.J., is suing 17 companies, including 
>McGraw-Hill and CompuServe, to collect licensing fees on the 
>patent, which protects downloading of encrypted digital 
>information. A court hearing is scheduled Dec. 6 in New York on the 
>company's claims. 


Notice, as usual, the Orwellian use of the word "protects" in the paragraph 
above.  While apparently written by a journalist, it echoes the usage of 
lawyers.  Nothing is really being "protected," it is being monopolized.


Jim Bell
jimbell@pacifier.com