[Mimedefang] More patent stupidity

[Ben Kamen]

Joseph Brennan wrote:
> 
> 
> --On Friday, May 13, 2005 5:24 PM -0400 "David F. Skoll" 
> <dfs at roaringpenguin.com> wrote:
> 
>> http://www.infoworld.com/article/05/05/13/HNtrendmicropatent_1.html
>>
>> "The Trend Micro patent explains technology that scans e-mail and
>> Internet data transfers for viruses at gateways and servers, before
>> the data arrives at a desktop computer."
>>
>> Does anyone have prior art for gateway virus scanning prior to 1997?
> 

What irks me about a lot of these patents is that the concept is simply reused 
in a different manner.

I have a screw driver... it's been used on lawnmowers.. but now I'm going to use 
it on my car... WOW! I SHOULD PATENT THAT IDEA/Reduction to practice.

Spare me, Computers have been scanning virii since the Crapintosh. (and possibly 
earlier) Just because the scanning has been moved from the desktop to the server 
or some other intermediary doesn't make it patentable.

Sad.. . Very sad.

  -Ben