Subject: [Simple] SIP soon to be useless due to patents...

From: "Bob Wyman" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2003 18:19:10 -0500

Today, the USPTO published 8 patent applications which explicitly
reference the Session Initiation Protocol. This means there are now 372
pending patent applications that make specific reference to the "Session
Initation Protocol." New applications seem to be getting filed at the
rate of 10 to 20 per week and the trend seems to be picking up... If
you're working in the SIP space, you will be hearing alot about patents
in the future...
    The result of all these patent applications may one day be a rash of
issued patents that pin down the SIP technology in such detail that
exploitation of the system will be virtually impossible. No matter how
much people may support SIP today or wish it well, the fact that it is
rapidly becoming encumbered by patents is a real problem that may
severely limit its real utility. Clearly, what is happening is a "land
rush" of patent filings by people who are attempting to exploit the fact
that the SIP space is still a new one and trying to pin down what most
would consider to be "obvious" ideas that, because the space is new,
have little documented prior art to cover them.
    Few people are aware, I think, that the current law requires that
most patent applications be published 18 months after they are filed.
Also, that there exists a two month window after the date of publication
during which it is possible for third-parties to submit prior art to the
patent office for consideration during the examination of the patent. In
other words, for the first time, we have the ability now to fight bad
patents cheaply -- before they issue. Lawrence Lessig has been asking
"What have we done?" to protect ourselves from the tyranny of excessive
patents and perpetual copyrights. Well, one thing we *can* do is stop
bad patents before they are issued.
    I recommend that everyone who wants SIP to remain useful should
check the USPTO site every Thursday to see what new applications have
been published. This situation is getting really bad.
    See below links to just this week's new "SIP" related patents. Some
just mention SIP but others try to get patents on it's use. Note: My
favorite recent application was publised on 9 January. This application
(20030009463) is an attempt by Worldcom to patent the idea of using XML
as the format of transaction log files. How callous can you get?
 
        bob wyman
 
SIP Related Patent Applications published today by the US PTO: (i.e. 8
of the 372 now pending...) There remains a two month window to file
third party submissions of prior art in these cases:
	PUB. APP. NO.	 Title	
1	 20030018717
<http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&
u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20030123
.PGPD.&s2='session+initiation+protocol'&OS=PD/20030123+AND+>
Extensible
<http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&
u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20030123
.PGPD.&s2='session+initiation+protocol'&OS=PD/20030123+AND+> information
distribution mechanism for session management 	
2	 20030018704
<http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&
u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=2&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20030123
.PGPD.&s2='session+initiation+protocol'&OS=PD/20030123+AND+> 	 Network
<http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&
u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=2&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20030123
.PGPD.&s2='session+initiation+protocol'&OS=PD/20030123+AND+> presence
and location agent 	
3	 20030018703
<http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&
u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=3&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20030123
.PGPD.&s2='session+initiation+protocol'&OS=PD/20030123+AND+> 	 Smart
<http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&
u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=3&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20030123
.PGPD.&s2='session+initiation+protocol'&OS=PD/20030123+AND+> appliance
network system and communication protocol 	
4	 20030018480
<http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&
u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=4&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20030123
.PGPD.&s2='session+initiation+protocol'&OS=PD/20030123+AND+> 	 Method
<http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&
u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=4&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20030123
.PGPD.&s2='session+initiation+protocol'&OS=PD/20030123+AND+> and
apparatus for transmitting voice over internet 	
5	 20030016679
<http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&
u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=5&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20030123
.PGPD.&s2='session+initiation+protocol'&OS=PD/20030123+AND+> 	 Method
<http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&
u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=5&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20030123
.PGPD.&s2='session+initiation+protocol'&OS=PD/20030123+AND+> and
apparatus to perform network routing 	
6	 20030016664
<http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&
u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=6&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20030123
.PGPD.&s2='session+initiation+protocol'&OS=PD/20030123+AND+> 	 System
<http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&
u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=6&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20030123
.PGPD.&s2='session+initiation+protocol'&OS=PD/20030123+AND+> and method
for providing rapid rerouting of real-time multi-media flows 	
7	 20030016630
<http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&
u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=7&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20030123
.PGPD.&s2='session+initiation+protocol'&OS=PD/20030123+AND+> 	 Method
<http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&
u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=7&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20030123
.PGPD.&s2='session+initiation+protocol'&OS=PD/20030123+AND+> and system
for providing adaptive bandwidth control for real-time communication 	
8	 20030016627
<http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&
u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=8&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20030123
.PGPD.&s2='session+initiation+protocol'&OS=PD/20030123+AND+> 	 System
<http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&
u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=8&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20030123
.PGPD.&s2='session+initiation+protocol'&OS=PD/20030123+AND+> and method
for determining flow quality statistics for real-time transport protocol
data flows