Why software patents are a serious pain
ArsTechnica had a story on
a company named BlackBoard acquiring a patent in relation to e-learning systems. Here’s a snippet:
…
a broad e-learning patent held by education and course management software company Blackboard. The patent, which was awarded in January of this year, covers “Internet-based education support system and methods” … Specifically, the patent describes an Internet system in which different access rights to various course management resources can be granted to different users.