Blackboard Patent Case Against Desire2Learn
The Wired Campus blog reports here that Blackboard Inc. has won a jury verdict in its patent infringement case against rival courseware provider Desire2Learn. Lawyers for the company had argued that Blackboard officials were aware of similar technology, or what’s known as “prior art,” that existed before it filed its patent application, and that the company had failed to divulge that information to the patent office.
According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, "The case has been closely watched by campus-technology officials, many of whom feared that a win by Blackboard could stifle innovation and leave colleges and course-management software providers vulnerable to more legal challenges by Blackboard."
Read this news report and the comments by readers on the blog.
Following the jury verdict, the president of Desire2Learn Inc. published a letter to their customers letting them know that:
The United States Patent and Trademark office has committed to reviewing the patent. As these activities take place we will provide you updates through our patent blog...
Follow the latest news reports about this story here and commentary on the blogs.
