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Raise Awareness and Stop FlightPrep
We need to stop FlightPrep from destroying useful flight planning tools for their own gain. Boycott FlightPrep so they drop the lawsuits. (boycottflightprep.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
The clearest positions on both sides are given by @Bill Hefron and @Tim Burga. I agree with Burga. The problem with Hefron's position is that this patent fails the "obvious" test. In the last 15 years, there has been a cottage industry of taking existing ideas, adding no more value than putting them on the Internet, and filing for a patent. There are "patent mills" whose sole purpose is to grind out as many of these patent applications as they can, and then look for someone to sue. We aren't talking about Thomas Edison or the Wright brothers here. There is (contrary to Hefron) no true innovation here, and (with Burga) our patent system is horribly broken.
Shouldn't the HOME page of this boycott explain WHY people should boycott the company? This is the most losely and terribly planned boycot/website ever. Obviously people fee strongly but why would you not make it clear what it is they have done instead of having people look around websites for information?
Patents are for "novel" ideas. It is not up to the patent applicant to decide what is novel and what is not -- that decision belongs with the patent-granting authority. Selling dog food over the internet is not a "novel" idea in these times, and offering flight planning services on the internet is not either.
Our patent system is horribly broken and this is just the latest example. Porting an existing activity or product to the web should not be considered an "idea" because it isn't one... it's bandwagon-jumping. If there's some unique feature that FlightPrep conceived and implemented on their site then they should be allowed to patent it, but not the entire concept of online flight planning! This is as clear a case of patent abuse for profit as there can be.
i think drawing lines on a map goes back to the Wright Bros thats been in the public since maps
They had the idea. They applied for a patent. The fact it was not granted for 8 years is not their fault. They should be allowed to make money off of their idea. We all like flight planning applications. There is no free lunch. If we refuse to allow innovators to make money innovation will stop. If the innovators make it too expensive for the people to sue their innovation others will come out with a cheaper solution but they will want to and have to make a profit. It is our system and it works. Quit complaining and understand that what you are doing is to destroy intellectual property rights. None of us want that to happen if we really think about it.