The BT hyperlinks saga: A best of Reader Comments special

BT's decision to take US ISPs to court over what it believes to be unlawful use of patented hyperlink technology was always going provoke a reaction.

As we predicted earlier this week (http://www.silicon.com/a51209 ) most users believe the saga shows BT in a bad light, although there are a number of you willing to defend the patent lawsuit.

Here then is the pick of the Reader Comments we've received to date. But we suspect it may be just the start of the discussion.

Well done BT
By Charles Armstrong
I think it's great ... Britain has repeatedly invented things and then watched as other people rake in the cash. e.g. Newton's Laws and Turing machines (i.e. computers)... way time that we made some money out of some of our inventions.

Well done BT II
By Ainsley Charles Ward
I really hope that BT win in court as I am sick of Americans claiming that "we invented the internet" - so hopefully this will give me some ammo to shut them up for a bit.

However, once BT have the acknowledgement that they are indeed owners of hyperlink technology, they should give it to the world - hence removing anyone's right to claim money for something that should belong to everyone.

Well done?
By Marcus Dyson
I just can't get my head around those who think this is 'well done' on BT's part, or that it proves anything about who invented the Internet.

The main reason that the Americans think they invented the internet is that they did. The US department of defence created the internet as the DARPA net. A Brit living and working in Switzerland invented the world wide web.

Royalties, royalties?
By Simon David
If only Alexander Bell was alive today...

Why stop at Bell?
By Allan McBain
Any of Isaac Newton's descendants fancy a go at claiming for anything that derived from the three laws of motion?

Why not?
By Phill Adams
If Amazon can patent one-click shopping, the most obvious next stage for ecommerce, why shouldn't BT be allowed hyperlinks?

What's so special about Hyperlinks?
By Malcolm Kenward
The first screen-based (dumb terminal) computer systems used links. Okay, so they were lined up one under the other as in a menu, and you had to hit a key to effect the link. But I really don't see that the in-line text hyperlink is anything particularly brilliant.

Will all those companies that developed software with drop-down menus get caught up in this? After all, the menu items are text and they provide a link to 'something' else!

Not good PR
By Laurie Knight
Is this the way for BT to win friends in the internet community? They need to win back a few after the fiasco with friaco and other issues to do with unmetered/broadband internet access in the UK. Now they want to disenchant all US users as well! Marvellous.

A quick buck
By Andrew Corbishley
Claiming royalties on a hyperlink is like asking the user of a keyboard to pay for each key they press, just because someone took out a patent on keys years before.

Show me the money...
Name Withheld
If BT want to make everyone happy, thus increasing customer confidence in the company and their subsequent willingness to buy more product, they should simply issue a statement of intent that should this patent (!) be upheld/enforced they will release the technology into the public domain.

So what's your take on the BT Hyperlinks saga? Is BT guilty of blatant opportunism or simply protecting a hard-earned invention? Have your say by posting a Reader Comment below

For more on the BT Hyperlink saga,