Speaking of both standards compliance and Blackboard, IMS CEO Rob Abel has posted an interesting comment on the Wired Campus’ blurb regarding a Blackboard/SAP integration deal: It is important for the readers to understand that there are currently administrative system providers such as Oracle working within the nonprofit IMS Global Learning Consortium to create open […]
Blackboard-Inc.
So You've Captured Baghdad. Now What?
Somebody asked me what I thought the theme of this year’s EDUCAUSE turned out to be. My answer was “Blackboard.” I did not attend a single session in which somebody did not make a derisive comment or joke about it. In many cases, (including the Common Cartridge session and my own session on OpenBRR), it […]
More on Fairness
Stephen Downes thinks I’m being too nice to Blackboard (which is the first time I’ve heard that particular criticism) by giving them too much credit for answering my questions during their webinar. He says it was all “just a needed warmup for court.” I’m sorry, but that doesn’t make any sense. To begin with, I […]
Once Again, IBM Sets a Good Example for Blackboard on Patents
The New York Times has a piece out today on IBM’s latest responsibility in patenting initiative. It seems that Big Blue will advertise its pending patents. Some details: The policy, being announced today, includes standards like clearly identifying the corporate ownership of patents, to avoid filings that cloak authorship under the name of an individual […]
Blackboard Conference Call, Part II
As I said in my previous post, I was allowed to ask quite a few questions of Matthew Small in Blackboard’s patent Q&A webinar tonight. I chose not to ask any regarding the scope or validity of the patent, since I saw no benefit in crossing swords on those issues. Instead, I focused my questions […]
Blackboard Conference Call, Part I
Tonight I listened in on the last in Blackboard’s series of Q&A webinars on their patent. To their credit, they let me ask all of my questions. Matthew Small even extended a personal invitation to me to call him with any follow-up questions. I was very happy with all of that. I was far less […]
Inside Baseball and the Blackboard Patent Fight
Correction: I have to apologize for sloppy reading. While my facts pulled from the NYT article are accurate, I should have spent a little more time reading the blog post that referred me to the article. Michael C. Smith, a lawyer in the district who was quoted in the article, believes that the claims are […]