Re: Sharing the Family PC is Patent-Pending

[Barry Pearson]

Alun wrote:
> "Barry Pearson" <news@childsupportanalysis.co.uk> wrote in
> news:Lx8nc.306$Nc3.192@newsfe3-win.server.ntli.net:
[snip]
>> What used to happen, and perhaps still does, is that companies would
>> use patents as bargaining chips. "We have these patents, and they
>> will screw you up for years. You have those, and they will screw us
>> up for years. Let's come to a mutual agreement not to fight about
>> this. Then we can both screw up all the others for years".
>>
>> Does this still happen?
>
> Yes, it's called cross-licencing

Ouch! I should have remembered that term!

Is this possibly behind some of these rather strange patent application
attempts - they are there to increase the company's cross-licensing power?

-- 
Barry Pearson
http://www.Barry.Pearson.name/photography/
http://www.BirdsAndAnimals.info/
http://www.ChildSupportAnalysis.co.uk/