This week, Blackboard issued another FAQ which “is the result of numerous discussions with those interested in better understanding the Blackboard patent.” Do their answers make the topic clearer? Let’s do a question-by-question analysis and see.
Blackboard-Inc.
Blackboard's Patent FAQ #2: The Empire Strikes Back
Thanks to Al Essa for discovering Blackboard’s latest FAQ on the patent. I am thrilled that they have now put these statements out in public (as opposed to just whispering them in their clients’ ears privately) because it finally gives us an opportunity to address them head-on. The truth is that their claims about the […]
(Almost) Back in the Saddle Again
Well, after a week of being crushed in moving boxes, I’ve managed to dig out enough to find my computer. Lucky for me Al Essa posted a week-in-review summary of the Blackboard EduPatentGate drama that helped me get back up to speed. Al has been doing a fantastic job of attacking the problem from a […]
eCollege Has Patented the Gradebook
That’s right. In 2004, eCollege was granted a patent that, as far as I can tell, is for A gradebook An online syllabus A private student journal Now, before you panic, ask yourself why eCollege has not sued anyone in the two years since they acquired the patent. The truth is that there are all […]
BECTA to Europe: Don't Panic About the Blackboard Patent (Yet)
I meant to post this yesterday but the day got away from me. A reader asked me to call your attention to this announcement from the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA): 1)Patents are valid only in the jurisdictions in which they are granted. The US patent granted to BBI will not have any […]
Why Desire2Learn CEO John Baker is Our Hero
While most folks paying attention to the Blackboard patent scandal have sympathy for Desire2Learn, I’m not sure how many people realize just how altruistic the company is being by fighting the patent. From a purely financial perspective, it is clearly in D2L’s interest to settle and pay a royalty, even though doing so would harm […]
The Blackboard Patent Crisis at Two and a Half Weeks
While marveling the events of the last several weeks, Jim Farmer suggested that it might be worthwhile to pause and reflect back on the sequence of events. I thought that was a good idea, so here it is. I don’t claim that it is any sense a definitive history. To the contrary, it’s just my […]