[mythtv-users] Is this gonna be a problem for Myth?

[Latka]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Justin Hunt" <yell at rogers.com>
To: "Discussion about mythtv" <mythtv-users at snowman.net>
Sent: Wednesday, June 04, 2003 5:28 PM
Subject: [mythtv-users] Is this gonna be a problem for Myth?


> http://www.embeddedwatch.com/wolfemicrosoftexclusivemay31.htm
>
> Microsoft jsut got a patent for something that sounds VERY similar to this
> project.
>
> anyone know if it will have an affect on it or not?

"However, patent rights aren't inviolable. If another company (either
through their defense of an infringement suit filed by Microsoft, or by
filing a suit of their own) can prove that the "inventions" claimed by
Microsoft have in fact been done before or are "obvious" to someone with
standard technical knowledge, then Microsoft's patent could be invalidated
by a court."

I think RealNetworks may have something to say about this patent. Just from
my casual reading of this, MythTV is meant to access pre-existing media
sources (cable/satellite/dvd/etc) and store them at the user's premises.
According to Fig 1. M$ has patented piping media from centralized offsite
sources into several customer homes. If M$ chooses to sue, in theory they'd
lose, but who could afford to fight them?