WorldCAD Access

Why CAD vendors might want to implement blockchains

IP protection A reader asks, At COFES [conference], a guy from McKinsey asked me, "Why would blockchain would have material value over a typical distributed database?" Blockchain is most valuable where the transactions are between parties where there is limited trust and where maintaining a potentially public ledger is beneficial. To what extent is that the case in CAD design? What exactly would you put in the blockchain? -- J. P. There is an issue in CAD revolving around IP [intellectual property] protection. Right now, the solution provided by CAD vendors is a form of design simplification. This function strips... Read more →

ITC continues in pursuit of Gstarsoft

New suit same as the old suit Legal counsel for IntelliCAD Technical Consortium yesterday announced it launched legal action against GStarsoft of China to enforce an Oregon arbitrator's ruling that awarded $273,892.14 (+ interest) to the ITC. I presented a Q&A with both sides in this case nearly a year ago in upFront.eZine. The details of the dispute are laid out in http://www.upfrontezine.com/2015/05/itc-vs-gstarsoft.html. Since that article and after Skype-to-Skype talks failed to arrive at a resolution satisfactory to the ITC, the consortium took the nest step, meeting with an arbitrator, who ruled unanimously in favor of ITC. After GStarSoft failed... Read more →

Autodesk settles with ZwSoft: the details

No cash exchanged When Autodesk first released the news this morning at 6am, I tweeted the story on @upfrontezine : upFront.eZine ‏@upFronteZine 10 hours ago Autodesk and ZwSoft settle: "Although ZWSoft initially denied the allegations, ZWSoft subsequently discovered that an employee had... upFront.eZine ‏@upFronteZine 10 hours ago ...in fact, improperly used AutoCAD intellectual property developing ZWCAD+." Looks like settlement consists of ZwSoft ceo apologizing and... upFront.eZine ‏@upFronteZine 10 hours ago ...ZwSoft pulling ZwCAD+ off the market, as previously reported by me in upFront.eZine. ZwCAD+ temporarily replaced by original ZwCAD... upFront.eZine ‏@upFronteZine 10 hours ago ...while ZwSoft works on new non-infringing... Read more →

Might Autodesk sue Microsoft over an obscure hatching bug?

It began as a surefire, slam dunk anti-copying law suit, or so Autodesk thought. It had evidence that ZWSOFT of China copied source code from AutoCAD 2008, including code that exhibited a rare bug that occurrs only under a very specific editing procedure involving hatch patterns. The papers Autodesk filed in court listed other bugs as well, and noted that certain dialog boxes look identical in AutoCAD and ZWCAD+. Autodesk filed the suit in Den Hague, Holland because the court there is known to give same-day judgments. Autodesk had proof, albeit circumstantial, and it wanted the book thrown at ZWSOFT... Read more →

What Autodesk accomplishes by suing a Chinese company

This is a selfie-FAQ, in which I interview myself over the implications for industry given Autodesk's law suit against ZWSOFT (of China, and its closely-linked American distributor, Global Force Direct). Q: Why did Autodesk sue ZWSOFT? A: ZWSOFT originally based its ZWCAD software on the IntelliCAD code licensed from ITC. But then like some other CAD vendors, ZWSOFT likely decided to become independent of ITC and so a couple years ago rewrote the code. Every corporation has a competitive analysis group, and the one at Autodesk no doubt examined ZWCAD+ and determined it acted suspiciously like AutoCAD -- right down... Read more →

Autodesk Attacks the Clones of China

A deep industry insider, a month ago, advised me that Autodesk would be suing ZWSOFT over copyright infringement. He alleged that ZWSOFT had copied code from AutoCAD. I searched for independent verification but found none, and so did not publish. This morning, however, another insider sent me a link to information that was public. Tthis kind of a law suit affects the industry dynamic, just like patent-related suits such as Auto-Dimensions v. Autodesk (which has already eliminated QDIM from one CAD program) -- and unlike, say, employment-related suits. It is still early days of the suit, and so the information... Read more →

Dassault counter-sues Auto-Dimensions (aka Acarcia Research)

Back in November, I wrote about Auto-Dimensions suing several large CAD vendors and a handful of small firms. I thought I'd update you on what's been happening since then. (Auto-Dimensions is suing over patents it bought up from a failing CAD vendor. The case involves commands like QDim in AutoCAD that automatically dimension entities. Similar commands are found in SolidWorks and Solid Edge. Auto-Dimensions is a shell company created by Acacia Research, a patent troll, so that if the three CAD vendors counter-sue, there is nothing to collect.) Here are the updates: By late November, Siemens PLM agreed to settle... Read more →

In upFront.eZine this week: Auto-Dimenions vs QuickDim-emabled CAD

After days of research, writing, and rewriting we have in this week's upFront.eZine for your reading pleasure: 1. Use QuickDim with your CAD software? Auto-Dimensions might sue you - The Sad Tale of Adra Systems - The Sad Tactics of Auto-Dimensions - Who's Doing the Suing? - Sources 2. In Twitter and On the Blog You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2013/upf-767. PS: Next week, there will be no upFront.eZine, for I am scheduled to attend the 3Dexperience Customer Forum put on by Dassault Systemes in Las Vegas. Read more →

Autodesk's pursuit of registering DWG is like a washing machine spinning

The US PTO (patent and trademark office) reaffirmed Monday that Autodesk cannot register DWG as a trademark in the United States. But the office is allowing Autodesk to trademark words that embed DWG, such as DWG EXTREME, DWG TRUEVIEW, and DWG TRUECONVERT. In addition, the PTO is allowing Autodesk to embed DWG in graphic elements -- like the one illustrated below, taken from the government document -- as long as Autodesk disclaims any exclusive rights in DWG apart from the graphic element. DWG in a graphic element: permitted; DWG on its own: not permitted Autodesk is, however, allowed to appeal... Read more →

A year later, Autodesk revives dead DWG case

Amid failing revenues and internal cost cutting, Autodesk asked its external law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati to revive its appeal to the US Patent and Trademark Office over Autodesk's fantasy that in the USA a file extension can be registered as a trademark; it can't. During seven years of attempts by Autodesk to turn .dwg into DWG, the USPTO told Autodesk -- repeatedly -- that it is not possible, because .dwg (a) is a file extension, not a name, and (b) even as a file extension, it is not unique. I can imagine the sighs of trademark judges... Read more →

3D Systems crosses to the dark side, launches software patent law suit

I am feeling much too tired this afternoon to read the court documents, in which 3D Systems is suing Formlabs and Kickstarter. I'll just link to Joseph Flaherty's story at Wired, who does a good job of explaining issue, posting the court documents, and listing informative comments. http://www.wired.com/design/2012/11/3d-systems-formlabs-lawsuit/ From my quick read of the issue, it appears that 3D Systems is upset that Formlabs is producing 3D prints for a fraction of the price of other stereolithography systems. In the comments section, readers argue that the 3D Systems law suit probably is invalid, due to the way their patent is... Read more →

EU's two simple reasons for allowing software resales

Reading over the court decision to allow private resale of software licenses, I see that their reasoning was simple, consisting of two points: In European law, software falls under the category of Book. Once a customer buys a book, the publisher loses control over the fate of the book -- the "rights are exhausted by first sale," as the court put it. European law supersedes anything a corporate lawyer might choose to include in license terms. The law suit was brought by Oracle against a used software seller in Europe, and the plan backfired when Oracle lost. You can read... Read more →

And just like that, Autodesk lost its battle against resold software in EU

Autodesk's legal department must've spent a sleepless night as word came out late yesterday evening from Europe that used software can be sold privately. As my European CAD friend Dietmar Rudolph explained it to me: You will have seen comments on the EU ruling on used software which in fact says that a software company's rights to distribution of a license ends with the first sale. Once sold (no matter which way), the licensee is allowed to resell the software even if the EULA says differently. Now, I have copies of AutoCAD and other software going back to the 1980s.... Read more →

...until it's over. Or at least, over until the next DWG appeal

In brief, the USPTO yet again shut down Autodesk's desperate attempt to register the untrademarkable DWG. See http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-78852808-EXA-8.pdf We get the sense of the USPTO losing patience, as it patently explains, once again: Applicant [Autodesk] is unquestionably the world leader in CAD (computer-assisted design) software and has enjoyed enormous success, as the evidence clearly demonstrates. But, the fact is, that although applicant developed the DWG file format in the early 1980s, it did not start using DWG as a trademark (or as part of a trademark) until over 20 years later. And then the dagger: The issue is whether an... Read more →

Like wack-a-mole, DWG vs USPTO still ain't over...

Every time you think that the US Patent Office has hammered down Autodesk's claim that it should be allowed to trademark the .dwg file extension, up pops another brief from the company's external lawyers, Wilson, Sonsini, and Rosati. Over and over again, the USPTO has explained to Autodesk that... .dwg is not unique to Autodesk; other CAD programs use the file extension prior to AutoCAD's existence and to this day -- and so cannot be registered as a trademark. .dwg is descriptive of the contents of the file's contents -- and so cannot be registered as a trademark. ...but to... Read more →

EU court legalizes reverse engineering of software

The two combatants don't matter (SAS and World Programming), but the result does. It's now legal in Europe to reverse engineer software. You can copy functionality, just not the algorithms. The courts figures that this will stop the monopolization of ideas. In the CAD world, the ruling protects software companies mimicking the actions of competitors, such as BricsCAD and ARES of AutoCAD. The ruling goes further, because the court said that programming languages and data formats cannot be covered by copyright. This means that reverse engineers can use the same programming language and data formats as the program they are... Read more →

Judge closes law suit against TransMagic, et al

Back in April, WorldCAD Access reported on a law suit between a Boston architect and a trio of companies. One of the three, TransMagic, specializes in translating CAD data. In http://worldcadaccess.typepad.com/blog/2011/04/hauled-to-court.html, I wrote: Transmagic uses LTL's Sheriff utility, which "phones home" user details, such as their IP address, computer MAC address, email address, and Transmagic software activity. The idea is to determine whether customers are failing to follow licensing terms, such as when someone uses the software beyond its 7-day trial period or installs it on multiple computers. As long as Transmagic tells users they are taking this info, and... Read more →

Registering DWG: It's all over but the crying (over lawyer fees misspent)

Concerning the attempted registration by Autodesk of the "DWG" file name extension, the United States Patent and Trademark Office this morning announced: A final Office action refusing registration has been sent(issued) because the applicant [Autodesk, Inc.] neither satisfied nor overcame all requirements and/or refusals previously raised. http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=78-852798 I wonder how much this fruitless legal action cost ADSK shareholders? Read more →

FINAL: No joy for Autodesk as USPTO continues to agree that DWG is not registerable

The United States Patent and Trade Mark Office decided last month that DWG is indeed not a name that can be registered as a trademark. As it has been saying all along -- and along with interveners like SolidWorks and Open Design Alliance -- the USPTO repeats that DWG is a description of a file type. In their words: DWG is merely descriptive of applicant’s goods under Section 2(e)(1) of the Trademark Act for two reasons: (1) DWG is a recognized abbreviation for “drawing," and (2) .dwg is a file format used for computer-aided design (CAD) drawings made both with... Read more →

EFF cranks Vernor v. Autodesk up to Supreme Court level

The Electronic Frontier Foundation very clearly explains what is at stake in Vernor vs. Autodesk: Under the first sale doctrine, once a copyright owner sells or gives you a copy of her work, she gives up control of that particular copy. You buy it, you own it. This principle is extraordinarily important for consumers, as it makes it legal for you to resell, lend, or give away the books, CDs, DVDs, and software that you purchase. Many copyright owners don’t like these limits; they’d rather be able to completely control the market for their products, including any secondary markets. Thus,... Read more →

Versata apparently loses think3 license, trademarks

The www.think3.com Web site today reports: On 2 May 2011, the trustee of Think3 Inc., appointed by the Court of Bologna, terminated the license agreement with Versata FZ LLC, pursuant to section 72 of the Italian Bankruptcy Law (Royal Decree no. 267 of 16 March 1942). As a consequence, starting from 2 May 2011 Versata FZ LLC cannot license Think3 products and/or use tradenames of Think3. This should make tomorrow's Webcast all the more interesting. Read more →

EU anti-trust commision investigating CAD software industry

The European Commission is looking at the competitive situation on the market for specialist design software and has requested information from at least one company in the sector. Known as computer-aided-design or ‘CAD’ software, the technology allows designers such as engineers and architects to build computerised 2D and 3D models of their work. Related software products also track how designs evolve over time. US firm Autodesk, which develops the AutoCAD software popular among architects, told MLex that it was “aware that the commission is reviewing the CAD industry. We have not received a visit from the commission. We have and... Read more →

Bentley loses CalTrans; protests; loses protest

You might remember a few years back when PTC didn't get into trouble with NASA. The space agency had been using PTC as its design software, and so it made sense to continue using it. We all know the headaches that occur should a large organization be forced to change its 3D file format. Anyhow, when it become the mandated time to renew the license, NASA automatically approved PTC again. Competitors howled, since they were not given a chance to compete. Over in California, Bentley Systems was bidding to have their software used for roadway design. There were three bidders:... Read more →

The battle over ".dwg" ends next week, Thursday

There are a few strange stories that haunt the history of CAD, and one of them is Autodesk's attempt to register the ".dwg" file extension as a trademark in the USA and other countries. (In brief, the USPTO hasn't been inclined to grant Autodesk's registration request, since file extensions cannot be registered. Along the way, Autodesk has sued out of existance attempts by other CAD vendors to use the letters D-W-G in product names, or paid them to stop.) I thought the whole matter had ended when SolidWorks and Autodesk came to a surprise agreement early in the morning before... Read more →

Intergraph, Bentley settle; Bentley buys back $200 million in shares

Brian Lawson of The Huntsville Times is reporting that Intergraph and Bentley Systems have agreed to suing each other, after Bentley agreed to buy back nearly $200 million worth of its own shares. The two companies have a long, unhappy history with each other. Intergraph was one of the very first, large, successful CAD vendors who sold turnkey systems -- software running on hardware it built itself. In fact, Intergraph's hardware was so good that Intel stole some of Intergraph's CPU technology, the so-called Clipper Case. (In the end, Intergraph benefited from the theft, by collecting hundreds of millions in... Read more →

Autodesk and Assimilate end their war

Autodesk Canada earlier this month settled a law suit it was planning to bring against Assimilate. Assimialte's press release relates the tangled tale: The lawsuit... was based on Autodesk Canada’s purchase of the intellectual property, including copyright interests, in a software program called Cyborg from an English company, 5D Solutions, Ltd. The Cyborg software provided digital compositing, color correction and various editing and art functions for the post production and visual effects industry. The lawsuit alleged that Assimilate’s software program, known as Scratch, infringed Autodesk Canada’s copyright in the Cyborg software. ...Assimilate acknowledges that it used code and design elements... Read more →

Acacia sued four CAD vendors

A Yahoo alert alerted me to a PTC settlement with Acacia Research (aka Software Restore) over patent litigation. What kind of patent did PTC agree it violated? Yahoo linked to a two-sentence press release from Acacia, which didn't say. Perusing Acacia's Web site, I found that terseness is their style. Too busy in the courtroom to have much time left over for chatty Web pages or massive press releases. For Acacia is a patent troll. They buy up patents from others, and then sue using the shotgun approach. Their list of 160 patents includes ones that cover compact disks, manufacturing... Read more →

Other trademarks opposed by Autodesk -- and by others

Searching the US Trademark and Patent Office, we come across many battles over names. Most surprising is the battle over 3DS, the shorthand name by which Dassault Systemes refers to itself. - - - AUCAD proposed by IMSI/Design, opposed by Autodesk, now in limbo: "Abandoned - No Statement Of Use File" DWGCRUISER proposed by ORDIUS, opposed by Autodesk, now cancelled. AUTOMATIONDESK registered by dSPACE GmbH, opposed by Autodesk, still registered by dSPACE. 3DS registered by Dassault Systemes, opposed by Autodesk in 2003, perhaps due to its similarity to 3d studio, now "Abandoned - After Inter-Partes Decision" [made by both parties... Read more →

Earth to Autodesk: this is the Internet era

Over at deelip.com, there is some sputtering going on over the ability of residents of India to download Autodesk software whose EULA [end user license agreement] cannot be read until after the software is downloaded and installed. Apparently, the wording of the EULA implies that Indians have no right to download the free software over the Internet -- just residents of English countries, like Canada, USA, and New Zealand. "This is not a topic to be debated publicly," says Autodesk employee Scottsh 115. Earth to Autodesk: this is the Internet era. We debate topics publicly -- especially contentious ones. And... Read more →

Big oopsie: Autodesk prevails against ODA, but fails to convince USPTO

Autodesk's lawyers may have prevailed against those of Open Design Alliance, but it looks like they may be failing against ordinary bureaucracy. Last month, it seems that the Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Tradmark Examination Policy at the United States Patent and Trademark Office decided (see 241-page letter) that even though the Autodesk DWG trademark application hasn't gotten to the publication stage (where letters from protesters, like the ODA, are usually accepted), a letter written by the ODA in 2008 is not to be tossed: It has been determined that the evidence submitted by the protester [ODA] is relevant... Read more →

Bentley vs Intergraph: still at war with each other

Bob Lowry of The Huntsville Times keeps us up to date on the legal war between Intergraph and Bentley Systems. In 2000, Intergraph sold its civil engineering software to Bentley. "The sale included $13.5 million in cash and a [promisary] note covering one year's value the maintenance contracts." It didn't take long for the former kissing cousins to get the courts involved: Bentley sued Intergraph over information related to the maintenance contracts. Intergraph sued Bentley over the amount owed on the promissory note. The initial law suits were just the beginning, and have now reached the level of the Alabama... Read more →

SolidWorks caves in on DWGxxx registration

SolidWorks yesterday gave up on defending its DWGgateway and DWGeditor trademarks in the US Patent and Trademark Office. You can read the document here: ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-91170857-OPP-36.pdf That which was so important a month ago no longer matters. Whither ODA Withers? That leaves the Open DWG Allinace alone in its defense against Autodesk's demand that nobody use the generic file extension dwg without its permission. What will the ODA do, now that SolidWorks caved in? Secret Agreement What was in the secret agreement between litigious Autodesk and defendant SolidWorks, signed after midnight? We're working on finding out, but in the meantime we... Read more →

Onto the next law suit: Vernor vs Autodesk

Correction: Autodesk yesterday launched its appeal of the earlier court case, in which Tim Vernor partially won against Autodesk. Recall that Autodesk had got eBay to prevent him from selling boxes of AutoCAD obtained from garage sales. A judge found that Mr Vernor could sell the software, since he had never agreed to it license terms -- which occurs only when you begin to install the software. In short, don't install the software and you can resell it. Autodesk is now appealing this ruling using the same lawyers who came to the last-minute agreement with SolidWorks. I have to chuckle:... Read more →

Law.com comments on Adsk vs SW outcome

Zusha Elinson of Law.com reports on the final few hours of Autodesk's multi-pronged lawsuit against SolidWorks in Novel Trademark Case Settles With Last-Minute Drama. For instance, one detail is that the Autodesk lawyer offered to pay for the time wasted by the 30 people called for jury duty. The judge refused the offer, saying ...that the lawyers were used to "big-firm practice, where money solves all problems," and suggested an apology instead. Read more →

Update: What the court's decision means

Legalese has its own meanings, and so I asked a lawyer what the final decision on Adesk vs SW meant. When the two agreed that "all other claims and counterclaims are dismissed with prejudice," the with prejudice means that cannot file same claims against each other. They can, however, still file different claims against each other, and they can file the same claims against others. When they agreed that the "court will enforce the stipulated trademark as against defendant without adjudicating the issue," the lawyer thought this might mean that SolidWorks has given up on using DWG in its trademarks. Read more →

Complete text of Autodesk's press release

Today, Autodesk, Inc. and Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp. (“SolidWorks”) agreed to settle a lawsuit pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. In the lawsuit, Autodesk’s allegations included that SolidWorks inappropriately used Autodesk’s trademarks AutoCAD® and DWG™. SolidWorks asserted counterclaims against Autodesk. To resolve the matter, Autodesk and SolidWorks have each agreed to dismiss all claims and have entered into a confidential settlement agreement. I wonder if the settlement includes SolidWorks licensing Autodesk's DWG API? Read more →

What's next for Autodesk vs DWG?

Now that Autodesk and SolidWorks agreed to stop suing each other in civil court over the color of rectangles, what's next? Well, first of all, Autodesk lawyers must be feeling devastated at the sudden loss of future income. My condolences. Second, the battleground moves back to the US office for trademarks. Last year, the USPTO had agreed to suspend Autodesk's desperate dispute against Open Design Alliance and SolidWorks over d-w-g pending the outcome of the civil court action. (I use the word "desperate," because Autodesk has no chance of getting ownership of .dwg due to reasons I explain in next... Read more →

Judge rules Autodesk's anti-"SolidWorks" cartoons A-OK

Now it's the turn of SolidWorks to complain of false advertising by Autodesk. As the judge put it, "The shoe is on the other foot here." SolidWorks didn't like a pair of Inventor cartoons Autodesk published which implied that non-Autodesk software produces products with dangerous defects -- specifically a roller coaster and a bicycle. Autodesk claims puffery. SolidWorks is upset by the fictional company's name, Won'tWorks, together with the headline "A real risk you shouldn't take." Real is in orange, just as in marketing materials from SolidWorks. The ad then claims, "Only Autodesk Inventor can read and write DWG data... Read more →

Autodesk chuckles at SolidWorks' fear-mongering

In the papers filed by Autodesk with the courts on Dec 29, the company laughs at the claim by SolidWorks that Autodesk wants to monopolize the use of .dwg as a file extension: Autodesk submits that its own statements and the Court’s Order mean simply what they say and nothing more: SolidWorks and any other party can use .dwg as a file extension when needed to achieve interoperability with the DWG format defined by Autodesk, and Autodesk has not attempted to state claims against such acts as they are functional uses of the letter string DWG. I've highlighted a phrase... Read more →

SolidWorks accuses Autodesk of attempting to monopolize use of .dwg as file extension

I am reading through an action brought by DS SolidWorks against Autodesk this week. (A second one was filed by Autodesk, and I'll report on its contents later.) In it, I read of Autodesk's lawyer's response to the judge, who very clearly asks if Autodesk intends to monopolize the use of .dwg for file extensions. Naturally, SolidWorks is pointing out that .dwg was used before and during AutoCAD's existence by CAD programs that are unrelated to AutoCAD, such as Generic CADD. SolidWorks seems to be warning the court that Autodesk is willing to allow two classes of programs to continue... Read more →

Judge undecided on use of puffery by SolidWorks

Autodesk is accusing SolidWorks of overusing its registered trademarks (AutoCAD and Autodesk) in advertising. The judge quickly found that it is okay for SolidWorks to refer to AutoCAD and Autodesk in its ads. The judge found, however, that he was unsure if SolidWorks was overusing the two names, because a competitor can only use as much of a registered trademark as is reasonably necessary to identify it; and SolidWork's ads must not contain anything that might imply Autodesk endorses the claims made by the ads. Any Version of DWG Autodesk accuses SolidWorks of false advertising when SolidWorks says that its... Read more →

Judge agrees that orange rectangles are generic

Judge William Alsup also ruled on Autodesk's silly lawsuit against SolidWork's use of an orange-colored rectangle and the word "real." In short, he found that Autodesk could not prove that an orange rectangle its trade dress. (Trade dress is the distinctive text, colors, and/or pictures on boxes and other containers in which products are sold.) In long, Autodesk claimed primary and secondary trade dress on the orange rectangle and the word "real." Primary is when the trade dress identifies the source of the product, or distinguishes it from other products -- like Tide's bright orange box and distinctive blue and... Read more →

Judge orders that the trademarketness of DWG go to jury

In Autodesk's law suit against SolidWorks over the use of DWG in product names and marketing, judge William Alsup rules: There are genuine issues of material fact as to whether DWG is generic. Both sides will have to try and convince a jury. If the jury finds that DWG is generic, then Autodesk cannot register it as a trademark in the USA. The judge found sufficient arguments for both sides that he could not decide. Even if the jury finds that DWG is non-generic, competitors are free to use the .dwg file extension, Autodesk vows: Plaintiff [Autodesk], however, expressly disavows... Read more →

Siemens also sued by BetaNet

I missed seeing names of any CAD vendors other than Autodesk in yesterday's article, but in a posting on slash.dot today I see that Siemens is also on the list. (The law suit seeks the protect BetaNet's patent on adding activation-licensing data to downloaded software.) Because the suit names "Siemens Corp," it targets Siemens USA, not Siemens AG (the head corporation located in Germany). The complete list consist of: Adobe Systems Apple Arial Software Autodesk CARBONITE Core Eastman Kodak International Business Machines Intuit Microsoft McAfee Oracle Rockwell Automation Rosetta Stone SAP America Siemens Sony Creative Software Read more →

Autodesk sued over software activitation method

Jim Dalrymple of Loop Insight reports that Autodesk and 17 other software companies are sued by BetaNet for violating its patent covering software activation. It applies to any program where a portion is downloaded, and then you enter registration-license information, which is merged into the rest of the program that is then downloaded. See guys? If you were open source, you wouldn't be paying lawyers their Christmas presents. Source. Read more →

CADopia's Sarda Responds to ITC Legal Action

As in all divorces, there are two versions of the story. On Monday, WorldCAD Access reported on the IntelliCAD Technical Consortium's version of its story on the reasons for its breakup with member-in-long-standing CADopia, Inc. Yesterday in an exclusive interview, WorldCAD Access spoke with CADopia CEO Surya Sarda to hear the other story. Most of his startling story was, however, on background and so cannot be revealed here. Here's what I can make public: Mr Sarda tells me that he disputes the amount owed, especially in light of receiving "not a penny" compensation for the three years he was ITC... Read more →

It's Come to This: ITC Sues Longest-standing Member

I am saddened to report that the IntelliCAD Technology Consortium last week filed a complaint against CADopia alleging breach of contract and trademark infringement, unfair competition, and deceptive trade practices. CADopia didn't pay ITC membership dues of $47,248.76 in 2008 and 2009, and so should have halted using IntelliCAD trademarks, and recalled all ITC-branded products from distributors. CADopia did not make the payment and failed to respond to warning letters. The software firm's Website, however, continues to sell its products and use the IntelliCAD trademark. Does CADopia even exist anymore? The most recent press release is from November, 2006. The... Read more →

Reed Sues McGraw-Hill Over Industrial Espionage

Reed Construction Data is suing McGraw-Hill Construction Dodge for accessing trade secret information by using fake companies posing as RCD customers. The complaint charges that Dodge hired consultants to subscribe to RCD's confidential data under the cover of fake names and companies. Dodge then allegedly manipulated the information to create misleading comparisons between Dodge's and RCD’s products and services in an effort to mislead the marketplace. Reed is mad enough to throw the whole book at McGraw: Fraud. Misappropriation of trade secrets. Misappropriation of confidential information. Unfair competition. Tortious interference with prospective economic advantage. Violation of New York's general business... Read more →

Does CAD Face Antitrust Under Obama?

This week we saw the US government launch an(other) investigation against IBM, and now the AP's Joelle Tessler writes in Tech industry braces for more antitrust scrutiny: Christine Varney, the head of the [Justice] department's antitrust division, vowed in a May speech that her office will take a tough look at potential abuses of market power across some of the nation's biggest industries, including high tech and telecom. There is rough and tough competition in CAD's mature marketplace, and sometimes I hear of tactics that gives me pause. A puzzler for me is jurisdiction. The largest CAD vendor is American;... Read more →

Vernor Wins; Customers Win

A judge decided today that Tim Vernor did not contravene the USA Copyright Act, when he resold AutoCAD software he apparently picked up at garage sales. The judge told Autodesk to back off harassing him. From Owen Wengerd's CAD/court: "The court declares that Plaintiff's [Vernor's] sales of Defendant's [Autodesk's] copyrighted AutoCAD software do not violate the Copyright Act to the extent Plaintiff [Vernor] acquired them in the manner described in the order. Defendant [Autodesk] is hereby enjoined from asserting its rights under the Copyright Act as a basis for preventing or otherwise hindering Plaintiff's [Vernor] sales of AutoCAD software." (The... Read more →