The bastards over at AT&T are suing Paypal over their e-everything patent.
This really does need to stop ... I mean I can fully understand the want/need to protect your intellectual property, but here's a few points I'd like to make.
Patent a freakin product, not an idea ... I mean, doing e-commerce over the internet? where's it going to end? the web world is already getting screwed over the eolas/microsoft judgement. hopefully the W3C's "prior art" will kill that bird where it hatched.
If you did patent something, don't wait until everybody and their mother implements it and takes it as an open standard. I mean, these assholes obviously knew they had a patent ... Paypal's been running for a few years, why not hit em with a cease and desist order back when they started. No, let them grow as a company, hire tons of employees that depend on them for their livelyhood. Let tons of developers leverage their service in their own products and services. Then pull the carpet out from under them when you stand to make the most money. There's several words for that type of behavior ... I'll spare your pretty little eyes from having to read them.
I really hope the whole anti software patent movement in europe is successful ... maybe it'll prove to be a good precedent for a change here in the states. I don't know what has to be done, but I know something is wrong and someone needs to fix it.