Z4 Technologies sues Autodesk and Microsoft for using "product activation" technology in their software, reports Susan Decker of Bloomberg News.
(Product activation is the term used among polite company for "anti-priacy." You may have seen the "you have 30 days to register/activate AutoCAD" msg?)
David Colvin says he obtained patents on the technology starting in 2000. "The two patents at issue involve passwords and codes assigned to each copy of an authorized version of software, obtained from the seller, and then possibly a second password to continue use of the software," reports Ms Decker.
Mr Colvin wants as much as US$1 billion from Microsoft and Autodesk, who insist they developed their copy-protection code before his patents were filed in 1998. They are using the prior-art argument, meaning he can't have the patent if someone else had already thought of the idea.
On the amusing side of things. Mr Colvin asked the judge to prevent Autodesk/Microsoft lawyers from calling him a "patent troll" in front of the jury.
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