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Rembrandt Social Media LP vs. Facebook

Yes, I know, it’s boring to read again about some copyright infringement.
And yes I am also bored, too. But maybe this is a way to show why money
still rules the world and why people are willing about to give up their soul
for something that usually isn’t worth fighting for.

While for long time, Facebook was not interesting for many lawsuit fighters as it was a free social network where people have joined, it now seems as if some patent underdogs are now trying to earn big with no work. A holding company from the Netherlands has now suddenly claimed rights on the “Like”-Function, as Facebook is offering this function to “bookmark” an article or page respectively rank it.

The Holding has bought the patents from Van der Meer who tried to build a social network called “Surfbook” but passed away in 2004. Now the lawyers from Fish & Richardson (Tom Melsheimer in detail) is stating that he believes that the social networks as we know them today are based upon patents acquired from Rembrandt Social Media LP.

Uh huh. Okay, let me get this straight. Long time, Facebook was not of any interest for Rembrandt Social Media LP and just in the moment, as Facebook is very popular (by accessing the stock market) Rembrandt Social Media LP suddenly sees some copyright infringement. And not only Facebook is now in the aim of Rembrandt Social Media LP, nope, also Addthis already got mail from the lawyers. In the case of Addthis, Rembrandt Social Media LP claims rights on the patent for generating, transferring and using annotated Universal addresses (WHUT!?).

Twice the fun, twice the situation that Fish & Richardson (btw. a very fishy name in my opinion!) can’t get my sympathy as they’re just some lousy money gobblers and nothing else.

Sop what to say as final conclusion: Again the very best proof that you can only gain money by buying some patents and for one day hope to sue the pants of a big company which is possibly using one of your acquired patents. If not, well, you burned some money. But companies who have specialized on this (I call them patent trolls!) have enough money. So why bother?

And one more thing™: Why did Van der Meer / Rembrandt Social Media LP not finish the idea of “Surfbook” when they’ve already seen big potential in it as it is so valuable to sue Facebook now? Not enough guts to possibly fail? Or just the thinking about “Let someone else do all the work, we will sue them later!”?

Sad but true: Nowadays the only purpose of the patent system (at least in the USA it seems) is: Who has lots of money, some good lawyers and then, let’s rock!

*SIC!*


February 12, 2013 Netspark - 1594 posts - Member since: May 9th, 2011 No Comments »

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