avant-window-navigitor patents?

[Kevin Fenzi]

Greetings.

Some folks were telling me that they thought that our
avant-window-navigator package might be infringing on:

US patent 7434177

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?patentnumber=7,434,177
http://www.wikipatents.com/US-Patent-7434177/user-interface-for-providing-co...

Any thoughts on this? I don't see mention of it in the review for the
package:

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=238863

Does the patent only deal with the "Zoom" functionality? 
Or is there just anything that lists a bunch of icons?

kevin

[Matt McCutchen]

On Sat, 2010-08-07 at 16:55 -0600, Kevin Fenzi wrote:
> Some folks were telling me that they thought that our
> avant-window-navigator package might be infringing on:
>
> US patent 7434177
>
> http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?patentnumber=7,434,177
> http://www.wikipatents.com/US-Patent-7434177/user-interface-for-providing-co...
>
> Any thoughts on this? I don't see mention of it in the review for the
> package:
>
> https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=238863
>
> Does the patent only deal with the "Zoom" functionality? 
> Or is there just anything that lists a bunch of icons?

It looks like each of the independent claims refers to either
magification or movement of icons in response to the mouse.  A simple
row of icons does not appear to be covered, and if it were, I am
guessing Active Desktop toolbars in Windows 95 would be prior art.  But
IANAL.

[Tom Callaway]

On 08/07/2010 06:55 PM, Kevin Fenzi wrote:
> Greetings.
>
> Some folks were telling me that they thought that our
> avant-window-navigator package might be infringing on:

Just an FYI, please don't send public list mails in the format of:

"Hey, I think Fedora might be infringing patent #ABCDEF"

If you really need to send an email like that, send it to
[e-mail] in a private email.

In this case, this issue was already known (and made public on this
list), so the damage is already done, but for future issues, it could
increase the risk exposure of Red Hat.

To the specific case, there is no legal concern regarding AWN that I am
aware of at this time.

~spot

[Kevin Fenzi]

On Mon, 09 Aug 2010 09:50:42 -0400
"Tom "spot" Callaway"  wrote:
> On 08/07/2010 06:55 PM, Kevin Fenzi wrote:
> > Greetings.
> >
> > Some folks were telling me that they thought that our
> > avant-window-navigator package might be infringing on:
>
> Just an FYI, please don't send public list mails in the format of:
>
> "Hey, I think Fedora might be infringing patent #ABCDEF"
>
> If you really need to send an email like that, send it to
> [e-mail] in a private email.

Oops. ;(

Sorry about that.
> In this case, this issue was already known (and made public on this
> list), so the damage is already done, but for future issues, it could
> increase the risk exposure of Red Hat.
>
> To the specific case, there is no legal concern regarding AWN that I
> am aware of at this time.

Thanks,

kevin