Waterloo-based Desire2Learn has succeeded in getting a preliminary rejection of all 57 claims in a software patent that Blackboard used to sue it for infringement. I wrote about the original case here.
Desire2Learn Wins Patent Battle in the U.S.
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college 1999 – prior art
college 1999 – prior art
based on a circle mud [ http://www.circlemud.org] ( with its liscense intact aka a free for non commercial use ) i designed a method of using the game like structure for interacting and making lessons fun.
While it was turned down by the college the students i worked with in its development loved it. Nothing like interactivity in the dark ages.
YOU could in effect go back to a dikumud and really go for it or if i had more time to develop back then i would have started form scratch and made my own.
all those styles a games offer a way to communicate via crude artificial intelligence pre programmed in.
Great News
If Blackboard’s patent claims are upheld, then it would be extremely difficult for anyone to get a foothold competing with them in the LMS market. WebCT/Blackboard are already lacking in a lot of ways. With no competition, I can’t see that improving.
Joke Patent
This is why software patents in Canada are illegal, idiocy like this. I’m going to extend to my department at Ottawa U here that we slap down a do-not-deal policy on Blackboard.
Joke Patent: response
The same patent granted in Canada in February 2009… the system is broken.