do these touch SELinux?

Story: IBM, Oracle, SAP Sued Over Server Software PatentsTotal Replies: 15
Author Content
gus3

Jul 21, 2008
10:59 PM EDT
Disclaimer: I have not RTFA.

If any of these so-called "patents" touch SELinux code, you can bet the National Security Agency will have something to say about it.
cabreh

Jul 21, 2008
11:13 PM EDT
Now I know I can tend towards the conspiracy theory mentality at times, but it seems strange to me that Microsoft never seems to get named in these actions. Does that mean they have no such fast security software in their systems? Or?

Sander_Marechal

Jul 22, 2008
12:01 AM EDT
I can't find anything about Implicit Networks online. let alone find out who's running the company. If someone can find that out, then we can cross-reference with "Microsoft" and see if there are any prior connections.
thenixedreport

Jul 22, 2008
1:46 AM EDT
Does the company in question have a website? Perhaps doing a WHOIS query on their domain would provide some useful knowledge....
Sander_Marechal

Jul 22, 2008
2:22 AM EDT
No website that I could find.
NoDough

Jul 22, 2008
5:25 AM EDT
http://www.implicitnetworks.com/

Partial whois output
Quoting: Registrant: Domain Discreet ATTN: implicitnetworks.com Avenida do Infante 50 Funchal, Madeira 9004-521 PT Email: 420b83e80a1411520110875f7282234d@domaindiscreet.com

Registrar Name....: REGISTER.COM, INC. Registrar Whois...: whois.register.com Registrar Homepage: http://www.register.com

Domain Name: implicitnetworks.com

Created on..............: Mon, Jun 23, 2003 Expires on..............: Wed, Jun 23, 2010 Record last updated on..: Mon, Mar 17, 2008

Administrative Contact: Domain Discreet ATTN: implicitnetworks.com Avenida do Infante 50 Funchal, Madeira 9004-521 PT Phone: 1-902-7495331 Email: 420b83c70a14115200eb3d157bbb5805@domaindiscreet.com

Technical Contact: Domain Discreet ATTN: implicitnetworks.com Avenida do Infante 50 Funchal, Madeira 9004-521 PT Phone: 1-902-7495331 Email: 420b83ea0a14115201fdf7b6ea1aa45e@domaindiscreet.com


The "contact us" address on their website is licensing@implicitnetworks.com. Notably, that is the _only_ link on their website.

A google of "Implicit Networks" sue returns many links with labels like these:
Quoting:Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, others sued by Implicit Networks in patent ... bit-tech.net | Implicit Networks sues... everyone Implicit Networks Inc v. Advanced Micro Devices Inc et al - 2 ... Intel, AMD, Nvidia, Sun sued - The INQUIRER CIO - IBM, Oracle sued over server software technology patents


Looks to me like they're a shell setup to harvest patents and sue everyone.
NoDough

Jul 22, 2008
5:45 AM EDT
Here are a couple of names that result on searches of the 6 US patents listed on their web site.

Balassanian; Edward (Bellevue, WA), Bradley; Scott W. (Kirkland, WA) BeComm Corporation (Redmond, WA)

In particular, Edward Balassanian comes up quite often.

From his linkedin page:
Quoting: Current

* President/CEO at new startup

Past

* President/CEO at Implicit Networks * President/CEO at BeComm Corporation * Software Design Engineer at Microsoft Corporation

Education

* University of Washington

Connections

94 connections Industry

Computer Software Public Profile http://www.linkedin.com/in/balassanian

Summary

My professional experience started with Microsoft as an engineer. The startup bug hit me in 1995 which led me to leave and found BeComm Corporation & Implicit Networks. We were the pioneering company in the digital home space and developer of the first operating system for the digital home. We also were the developer of world's first Portable Media Player, Digital Media Adapters, and Media PC. We had the opportunity to be partnered with leading CE companies including Intel, AMD, Thomson, Nvidia, DLink, FIC, GoVideo, Sprint, Comcast, Motorola, Intrinsyc, Bsquare, Wind River Systems, and others. Implicit developed a significant amount of intellectual property and currently holds several seminal patents in the areas of digital media management, digital media user interfaces, software updates and media processing engines.

I am currently CEO of a stealth-mode startup. Specialties:

Intellectual property monetization strategies; OEM licensing, sales, and negotiations; startup company formation and management; fund raising including angel, private, and VC; executive team management; branding, marketing, and public relations strategies; and other fun stuff you learn running three startups.


Note: Per above, he is apparently not the current CEO of Implicit Networks.
Sander_Marechal

Jul 22, 2008
6:29 AM EDT
In short, he's an ex-microsoftie. Possibly turned patent troll, but I can't find when his involvement with Implicit Networks ended (before or after the first barrage of lawsuits). I found three other former Implicit Networks people on LinkedIn but I can't see their names. One is also an ex-Microsoftie. One is ex-Nvidia.

As for the website, it's hosted on Google Apps.
NoDough

Jul 22, 2008
6:46 AM EDT
Quoting:Possibly turned patent troll, but I can't find when his involvement with Implicit Networks ended (before or after the first barrage of lawsuits).
Before. One of the links I read concerning the Feb 08 suits quoted him. Haven't got time to go find the link again right now.

Edit: Errr, I meant after. Lysdexia strikes again.
Sander_Marechal

Jul 22, 2008
6:47 AM EDT
I've also been going over the initial filings in these cases, but nobody from Implicit Networks, aside from the inventors on the patents, is named. I would have expected that at least one person's name of Implicit Networks would be in there. A company cannot represent itself. There has to be at least one person who speaks on behalf of the company to the law firm that prepared the suit. I would expect that name to show up in the filings. Something like:

Filed by James S. Rogers of Goldstein, Faucett & Prebeg LLC on behalf of Implicit Networks Inc. represented by John Doe the patent troll.
Sander_Marechal

Jul 22, 2008
6:50 AM EDT
One more thing: Here in The Netherlands you can look basic information such as business address, names of board members, etcetera up on the website of the Chamber of Commerce -- for free. Is there something similar in the US that you could use to find out who runs Implicit Networks?
NoDough

Jul 22, 2008
6:53 AM EDT
Publicly traded companies have quite a bit of information available. No such requirement for privately held firms.
Sander_Marechal

Jul 22, 2008
7:38 AM EDT
Too bad. Even about privately held companies there is some information available in The Netherlands.
techiem2

Jul 22, 2008
7:44 AM EDT
Quoting:Intellectual property monetization strategies


*shudder*
azerthoth

Jul 22, 2008
11:57 AM EDT
Isn't that one of the current euphamisms for "patent troll" ?
hkwint

Jul 22, 2008
1:23 PM EDT
'Bout BeComm: Only 2 patents. Redmond based (the logical place for a startup if you leave Microsoft maybe), employs another ex-softie named Balassanian, who is the inverntor of the two patents. Company is Microsoft Gold Member of Windows Embedded etc. etc.

'Bout Implicit Networks; it IS the former BeComm; see http://www.cs.washington.edu/affiliates/curraffil.html. Only 4 patents. These are their patents:

[url=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=/netahtml/PTO/search-adv.htm&r=0&p=1&f=S&l=50&Query=AN/"Implicit Networks"&d=PTXT]http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=H...[/url]

Inventors are: Edward Balassanian (same ex-softie; All four of them) and Bradley; Scott W (co-inventor of one of them).

Patents meant must be 6,976,248 and 6,324,685; the latter from the BeComm period.

The article mentions the caseno. 08cv1080, however it costs $0.08 to seek the pertaining docs at the US District Court of the Western District of Washington; and you need a credit card to sign up for an account. I don't have a credit card.

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