Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!pacbell.com!att!cbnews!jbr0 From: jbr0@cbnews.att.com (joseph.a.brownlee) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system Subject: Re: Lawsuits and System 7.0 Message-ID: <1991Apr12.113556.9952@cbnews.att.com> Date: 12 Apr 91 11:35:56 GMT References: <1991Apr10.130859.17260@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> <1991Apr11.222725.3006@csrd.uiuc.edu> Sender: jbr@cblph.att.com Reply-To: jbr@cblph.att.com Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 21 In article rsarin@aix01.aix.rpi.edu (Raman K. Sarin) writes: >>No, really, the legend is that Illinois made this patent way back when >>the PLATO system was invented. It's utterly unenforceable (of course), >>but wouldn't that royalty money be nice... > > Yeah, but how far back is way back? If it was more than 17 years ( I think ) >then the patent expires... I'm not sure when the patent would have been granted, but the first multi-user PLATO system was developed in the early 1960's. The terminals were the size of a room. It allowed two students to simultaneously run a math lesson. There are several guys from the CERL at the U of Ill. the net; they could provide more details. Anyway, I doubt the patent would still be valid. Just an ooooold PLATO "author"... (brownlee / music / cerl). -- - _ Joe Brownlee, Analysts International Corporation @ AT&T Bell Labs /_\ @ / ` 471 E Broad St, Suite 1610, Columbus, Ohio 43215 (614) 860-7461 / \ | \_, E-mail: jbr@cblph.att.com Who pays attention to what _I_ say? "Scotty, we need warp drive in 3 minutes or we're all dead!" --- James T. Kirk