Patently Absurd? Streaming Users Face Acacia Patent Fight

Call to Action
So the real questions are: What should the industry response to Acacia's actions be and what options does a company have that has received a letter? For starters, alert everyone in your company, and anyone in the industry who does not know and should, about Acacia's tactics. Education is the first step. If you have received a letter from Acacia or know of a company that has, please have them go to www.streamingmedia.com/patent. We have created an online resource where you can get detailed information on Acacia, with links to the patents, prior court documents, contact information for the patent lawyers, copies of letters companies have received and other information you may need. There is a group of streaming media industry companies who have gotten together with the help of some top patent legal resources and now is the time to get involved. You can also contact Streaming Media Inc. and we will put you directly in touch with those who are working together to fight this.

A February 6 hearing is set for Acacia's legal team and the 13 adult entertainment companies counter-suing the patent holder in which the judge will take the first steps in determining the meaning of the patents and whether they are based on ideas or actual processes. At a previous hearing in November of 2003, both parties decided on ten terms related to the patents that the judge would begin to examine.

To stay up to date on what is taking place with the Acacia patent fight, and to read about the outcome of the February 6th hearing, please visit www.streamingmedia.com/patent and subscribe to our new Acacia Newsletter which will keep you up to date on all the happenings in court and in the press.

Only time will tell what the outcome will be for the streaming industry and corporations utilizing streaming media technology. Clearly, this is going to be an ongoing legal and technical issue at the forefront of the streaming industry throughout 2004.

For more information, Dan Rayburn can be reached at mail@danrayburn.com