Patenting the man-in-the-middle attack ought to mark the end of software and business method patents. It's (1) obvious, (2) been done, and (3) making hacks patentable ought to be contrary to public policy.
Microsoft patents lawful intercept on Skype
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Re: Microsoft patents lawful intercept on Skype
#12Someone found a way to bypass the PR dept to let you know that Microsoft's IM networks support lawful intercept (and that company policy supports this).
Yes, once this one is issued, Microsoft's competitors, both proprietary and free will be proud to proclaim Microsoft has a patent on lack of security!
Re: Microsoft patents lawful intercept on Skype
#13I feel the need to state what is probably already obvious to the HN crowd: Microsoft did not invent the idea of lawful interception. It is used in full force for both fixed and mobile networks, and select government agencies can call carriers to get records and do live wire tapping. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Assistance_for_L... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawful_interception Microsoft's premise is…
Patent examiner salaries are 52-79k? In Washington, D.C., the most highly paid metro area in the USA?
No wonder they can't manage to hire engineers who know any of the many technologies that have been around for decades and still get repeatedly patented every week. That's as bad as the continuing prohibition on admitting computer engineers and software engineers to the patent bar while software becomes an ever larger fraction of the case load.
Re: Microsoft patents lawful intercept on Skype
#14I feel the need to state what is probably already obvious to the HN crowd: Microsoft did not invent the idea of lawful interception. It is used in full force for both fixed and mobile networks, and select government agencies can call carriers to get records and do live wire tapping. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Assistance_for_L... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawful_interception Microsoft's premise is…
Patent examiner salaries are 52-79k? In Washington, D.C., the most highly paid metro area in the USA? No wonder they can't manage to hire engineers who know any of the many technologies that have been around for decades and still get repeatedly patented every week. That's as bad as the continuing prohibition on admitting computer engineers and software engineers to the patent bar while software becomes an ever larger…
Not to be confrontational, but where do you see that there is a "prohibition on admitting computer engineers and software engineers" to the patent bar? I have a CS degree, and work with plenty of others with software experience or computer engineering/software degrees, all of whom are admitted to the patent bar.
Re: Microsoft patents lawful intercept on Skype
#15Earlier quoted context omitted.
Patent examiner salaries are 52-79k? In Washington, D.C., the most highly paid metro area in the USA? No wonder they can't manage to hire engineers who know any of the many technologies that have been around for decades and still get repeatedly patented every week. That's as bad as the continuing prohibition on admitting computer engineers and software engineers to the patent bar while software becomes an ever larger…
Not to be confrontational, but where do you see that there is a "prohibition on admitting computer engineers and software engineers" to the patent bar? I have a CS degree, and work with plenty of others with software experience or computer engineering/software degrees, all of whom are admitted to the patent bar.
Last I checked there was a list of eligible engineering degrees and software engineering was not on the list.
Re: Microsoft patents lawful intercept on Skype
#16C'mon, you don't honestly believe in 2012 that a conversation held over public networks using free software that embeds itself in every browser on your machine, watches your searches, automatically talks to the mothership every night, and keeps real-time track of your contacts, is actually private do you? How do you think Free got to be worth so much?
It's unfortunate that Skype got sold to a U.S. company. Before that, someone asked Skype's CEO about compliance with U.S. wiretap law, and he said "What do I care about that? We're not American."