well, if you ask me …

Charlotte, N.C.-based Scientigo owns two patents (No. 5,842,213 and No. 6,393,426) covering the transfer of “data in neutral forms.” These patents, one of which was applied for in 1997, are infringed upon by the data-formatting standard XML, Scientigo executives assert.link

This reminded me of something I read about a year ago:

If I were a patent terrorist like some, I could probably even patent these ideas. Isn’t it a shame that in this country today, you can have nothing more than an idea, do nothing with it, but still have a chance to make money?Mark Cuban on blogmaverick.

One whiner left a comment on Mark’s blog complaining that big companies with ‘rich friends’ shouldn’t be the only ones who make money. He says “Should I not profit from my ideas just because someone else had richer friends?”Well, philosophers have debated this for centuries. I am going to say “Yes, you should not profit!” I don’t think an ‘idea’ is good enough.He also complains that the founders of Google were able to raise $25,000 from friends and family for their idea, something he claims he could not have done. Just a thought - If you cannot raise $25,000 for an idea that you think should eventually make you rich, then you shouldn’t expect to get rich.Better keep playin’ the lottery.