Wal-Mart, Target Under RFID Patent Attack

[HardOCP News]

I can’t believe this RFID patent lawsuit is still dragging on. Wal-Mart could have just offered this guy half of what they are paying their lawyers and settled the suit for good.

Many months later, the case is still wending its way through a U.S. court in a Texas district with a reputation for sympathy to patent holders. A preliminary court order issued last week appears to bode well for RFID World, but the final outcome of the case isn't so clear. The targets of the lawsuit have asked for the case to be thrown out, arguing they didn't violate the patent and that the patent isn't valid in the first place.

 

[pizpot]

Walmart has lawyers on staff, so it is free for them.

 

[UrielDagda]

So, they don't own the patent on RFID tags.. Just a patent on a specific way of making use of them. Why does this strike me as patently stupid?

 

[Devistater]

IANAL
Once a company settles, often everyone starts targeting them. So it may make short term sense but not long term.

Another thing, those nutty cases where a big company goes after some harmless website, they usually aren't doing it because they don't like that little tiny website. They are doing it because some courts said that if they can't show they are actively trying to protect thier trademark, they could lose it.
Example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genericized_trademark

Anyway just a couple cents thrown in.