[geeks] ipix

[Kurt Huhn]

Joshua D Boyd wrote:
> 
> On Tue, Jul 02, 2002 at 11:12:06AM -0400, Kurt Huhn wrote:
> > So if I stitch together a bunch of photos that I took with a 50mm lens,
> > regardless of what software, method, or hardware I use, I'm guilty of patent
> > infringment?
> 
> Yeah, that is what he said.  I haven't read the patent myself.  Seems
> pretty flimsy to me, but then even the flimsiest patents are hard to
> break.  Obviously this patent can't really apply to software since
> software doesn't need to know what size lens you used.  Nor can this
> patent apply to hardware since they aren't using any special
> hardware.  A business process patent doesn't seem right here, but what
> do I know.   Things were a lot easier to understand before what was
> patentable changed in the 80s (or when ever it was).
> 

Sounds like a flaming crock of shit to me.  If I manually stitch together a
panorama of photos, shot with my Cannon AE, scanned on my scanner, and
assembled in the Gimp, using my Octane, they would have a hard time proving
patent infringement of even the slightest.

My opinion is that the rep has no idea what he's talking about.  Someone over
at HQ told him that during some marketing or sales meeting, and he took it at
face value.  FUD.  Plain old, run of the mill, marketing-style, FUD.  The sad
thing is that 99% of the people he tells that to, doesn't have the brains to
say "sounds pretty flimsy to me", and they believe it for what he says.

I presume that they could have a patent on the process that their proprietary
software uses to stitch the photos together, but patenting the use of arbitrary
hardware/software/methodology is impossible.  That's like me getting a patent
on running over computers with a Dodge Ram 1500 - it would never happen.

FWIW, I've seen these iPix things in action - the concept is extremely simple,
easily reproduceable, and shouldn't require the use the of any specialized
software or hardware.  Even my rudimentary programming skills should be able to
approximate what the iPix stuff does.  Talk about winning a marketing war...
-- 
Kurt                   "What me look like, ricecake monster?   
kurt at k-huhn.com         Me Cookie Monster!  Me need COOKIE!" --Cookie Monster