Using click-through images on your site?

[Kryten]

Company called VueStar in Singapore is claiming a patent against links within or to other websites contained in images; not only this, but they've started invoicing any website they see fit. Of course nearly every website on the planet uses this style of linking, even this one (top left). They're going after folks like Google and Microsoft too.
I don't think they've got a hope in hell, they're blatantly profiteering out of it, and I sincerely hope someone counter-claims and gets the moronic company shut down.

 

[Jonty]

Hi Kryten

Crikey, this is crazy If evidence were needed of how screwed the patent system is, then profiteering companies like this are a good example. Thankfully they usually get nowhere, but sometimes they do succeed (like Eolas, who won in court and to which Microsoft eventually paid up licensiing fees). At least there's one upside, pretty much the whole community rallies against these kind of companies

Kind regards

 

[Kryten]

Exactly. I've no idea how they could even start to manage that, with the sheer amount of usage it gets.
I also doubt they're even nearly the first people to have "invented" such a system either.
I'll be keeping an eye on it anyway, it's providing me a bit of a laugh.
Just waiting for a similar influx of other patents from the woodwork like "software that automatically turns a colon and bracket into a smiley" and "a name automatically resolving to a location's IP address".

 

[Yaka]

why cant a none profit group just patent shit similar to this so no one can gain a profit for common things on the interweb

 

[Kryten]

Would be useful. If I was VueStar holding that patent, I'd be fairly happy in knowing a patent I hold is contributing to people's everyday lives in a manner they take for granted without realising it.
Fairly childish, IMO.