Yahoo's 10 patents that it claims Facebook infringed | Hacker News Reader

Yahoo's 10 patents that it claims Facebook infringed

news.cnet.com

31 pointsredridingnews21 comments

I mentioned this on another thread, I and I think its worth repeating here: what a disappointing step for Y!'s new CEO to take. I have to think that Yahoo is looking to lever an early settlement because of Facebook's pending IPO - a quick way to make some gains. Regardless, I think it is a wasteful way to do business.

Yahoo! is a media company, Facebook is a networking/platform company. They should be looking for ways to work together and build value instead of attacking each other and destroying it.

This smells more like an ego-driven decision more than anything else. What an incredible waste of time for Yahoo. Yahoo has so many problems on so many other fronts and the last thing they need to do is draw themselves into another battle.

> what a disappointing step for Y!'s new CEO to take

Given the timeframe, I don't think the new CEO had the time to pull that off.

It happened on his watch - something this big definitely had his stamp on it.

It sure had his signature because after all he is the executive but it doesn't mean he had any power to pull it off nor to shut it down.

I think that at those levels and in such companies, investors are really pulling the strings. In other words, CEO is the first level of management. Disposable and convenient for all matters.

Edit: but ok, perhaps that's just my point of view.

It definitely would have started under the old CEO's watch, but perhaps just as a contingency plan and as a negotiating tactic. That's just smart.

Actually pulling the trigger on the plan? Trading reputation for short term dollars? That piece of stupidity is all on the new CEO. They have about $10 billion in the bank and in long term investments, so they don't need the short term cash which would be the only possible justification for this kind of stupidity.

The USPTO hands out patents like a kindergarten teacher hands out stickers. You made a system for ad placement? Good for you!! Here's a patent!!

> Investors will be placing their bets on who they believe has the better legal standing and lawyers in this new patent war

Surely investors will be placing their bets on what the minimum amount of money that Yahoo! will take to go away and get out of the way of the IPO.

Or have people been living under a rock and actually think that legal standing and lawyers make the slightest difference in resolving patent battles of this sort?

I think both of these companies have lost sight of why these websites even exist in the first place. A trait that is not limited to these two companies alone... I'm looking forward to new innovation the future brings, because IP battles like this are starting to looking like crackheads fighting over the last rock.

  U.S. Patent No.7,406,501
  System and method for instant messaging using an e-mail
  protocol

  Abstract
  Systems and methods allowing an instant messaging user to exchange messages with an e-mail user. 
  To the instant messaging user, the experience is a seamless exchange of instant messages; to the 
  e-mail user, the experience is a seamless exchange of e-mail messages. Conversion of an instant 
  message to an e-mail message includes insertion of a token into the e-mail message, and conversion
  of an e-mail message to an instant message includes validating a token extracted from the e-mail 
  message.

It looks like GMail is also infringing that patent.

Not necessarily, if there was some sort of settlement, or G pays Y for executing this patent.

It looks like 98% of the web is infringing some of these patents.

Prior art: http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc821 (Section 3.4) Yes, there were systems that implemented this.

Yahoo presently is an embarrassment. A huge one.

CEO's like this are looking fro quick wins (bonus certainly tied to revenue). What a shame.

I don't get you. It looks like they (FB) infringe on some Yahoo! patents. Its not a subject of dispute how frivolousness it is to patent system that sends IM message to email, but this patent is not from 2012.

If you were CEO and seen FB growing like this with $100B valuation and if you would truly believe they use your patents, please tell me what would you do?

Its OK to downvote -- just reply to the question, please.

Although I am not the CEO and not in this position, I am certain I will use my patents as a defensive weapon. I would certainly NOT strike Facebook at their weakest (the quiet period).

They knew of these patents since 2005 and obviously when they tried to buy them. but why now? it is shameful blackmail. Very sad and shameful.

I did not downvote you.

It's probably true. However, if it's true that facebook is earning from yahoo's properties, I think they have the right (and probably should too) to sue facebook

...but aren't Yahoo in bed with Microsoft... who are one of the largest share holders of Facebook?

Well, they hold under 2% as far as I know.

ah, thanks for clarifying.

Here is a great response to the news (sorry if already posted somewhere on HN):

http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2012/03/yahoo-crosses-the-line.html

Reply on news.ycombinator.com