Linbot

[Quasimodo]

Gene: Thanks, I stand corrected.  Maybe it's 30,000 words in common use.
Remember reading something about that somewhere and have probably misquoted
entirely in trying to make a point.

Erik: Sure they tm'd Linkbot, but now anything sounding similar (e.g.
Linbot, Linkrobot, probably even BotLink) will get threatened with Cease and
Desists.  As Kevin said, if the guys are smaller they'll be forced to
comply, if not, they probably wouldn't get threatened anyway.

This is almost as bad as Amazon patenting a one click sales on the web.  Or
BT trying to get license fees for web links on a 10 year old patent they
had.  I was personally involved in a company which had designed a oneclick
purchase system, completely unaware of Amazon's system.  We had to
specifically cripple the design when they forced B&N to stop using the same
system, you just can't risk getting into a legal tangle with bigger (better
funded) opponents.  It just starts getting ridiculous if someone now patents
a 2 click sales process on the web, and another joker a 3 click patent, and
so on.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm all for patenting and trademarking REAL innovation.
It just annoys me when the leverage it gives the holder is misused.

Jose