We were targeted by Kelora and threatened by them multiple times. Glad to see this ruling come down and to see common sense prevail. This is a great day for internet retailers and the internet at large. Last line of summary from judge states... "Defendants shall recover their costs from Kelora."
This is great news too because it is a shot at other Patent Trolls. You can't bring frivolous suits without fear of paying defendant's costs when you lose.
In my opinion Kelora knew they would probably lose this all along, but dragged it out as long as they could so they could scare other retailers in to paying for a license to use "their technology".
This is a great responsive design. This works, in part, because it is a news site with predictable image sizes, headline sizes, and very limited GUI.
If you want to build something that is more graphically intensive, with more focus on visual appeal in traditional browser sizes, it gets more and more complicated. I'm working on a project now actually, and it's pain. I'm not saying it can't be done (it can with a lot of work). It's just more difficult and time-intensive the more graphics you use.
you make a good point. if you are paying $150,000, you should at least talk to a laywer to make sure you are getting the "license" they claim to be offering.
You really have 1 viable option at this point - talk to a very good patent attorney.
You can read the Microsoft counter-suit and get a complete factual history of this case. You can read about how Kelora systems was just created a few months ago and was just assigned the patent (presumably so they could appeal the case under a different entity and continue to try and extract settlements while the real case is being decided - speculation on my part based off of the MS countersuit).
If you read the history (as detailed in the MS counter-suit), you'll see that the patent was recently invalidated and is now being appealed. I am extremely surprised that a legitimate law firm like Manatt would actually take this case and engage in such tactics. Strange times, indeed.
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/61865036/Microsoft-v-PartsRiver-...
They can't be serious with that rebuttal. Intellectual Ventures is a parasite who's allowed to thrive on the innovation and hard-work of others simply because they have identified a loop-hole in an archaic system that was never built for or intended for the abusive nature in which they are exploiting it.
I personally believe that (unless something is done to change the system), generic software patents will ensure the slow grinding halt of entrepreneurial innovation in the U.S.
Intellectual Ventures is the worst thing to happen to small web businesses and developers... ever.
There are lot of additional problems though... the way the Patent Office washes their hands and leaves it up to the courts to sort things out etc.
I personally think ALL software patents should be abolished completely. In absence of that, NPE's "non-practicing entities" should not be allowed to hold patents. You need to prove that you are using it (in commerce) to keep the patent. And you should not be able to sell a patent unless it is sold with an existing revenue producing business.
The US system has turned into a joke.
