CSIRO's patent fight targets more victims: AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile
By Tim Stevens 
posted May 21st 2010 7:31AM
posted May 21st 2010 7:31AM
Ever pass on an old WiFi-equipped gadget on eBay or gave it to a friend in exchange for a case of beer? Lord Humongous is coming for you next.I'm not going to be exposing what the legal strategy is to a journalist. There's a legal strategy here that has been thought through very carefully and to a lay person it looks like a pincer movement. You've got court action against upstream chip makers and you've got court action against downstream carriers.
[Thanks, Chris]
Sigh.
@ilh No need to "sigh", read on in the comments to find out more about CSIRO.
@ilh
CEO: I want money.
Worker: (types 'wifi' into google) Let's sue everyone who comes up!
CEO: Cool!
@Apple Google Microsoft
The script has changed after I read the comments and did some research:
Hard working scientist: I worked so hard and all these companies are getting rich off my invention :(
CEO: Time to get some money back to where it belongs, in YOUR pockets...and mine :)
Scientist: Thanks! now I can feed my family! :)
PS: poor, poor article. Poorly researched. Shame on you Tim Stevens.
@Apple Google Microsoft
Please read the dozens of comments below that state that the CSIRO is not a company. It is an Australian Government research organisation.
@BourbonBoy
I did. See above. GO CSIRO!
@Apple Google Microsoft
No probs. Thanks for taking the time.
@trainwrecka
I sigh because of what it takes for this stuff to happen. The lawyers are the only people that truly win.
@ilh Wow ... Tim Stevens sounds like a fucking tool after reading the comments about CSIRO.
Will he man up and correct the article or bitch-out and pretend like it never happened?
@BourbonBoy Doesn't that really make it that much worse? Maybe the DoD should charge Australia royalties for that whole internet thing.
@ Engadget in general:
I am a huge fan of Engadget and have been for years, but i have a few points to share:
Nowadays any schmo can call themself a reporter.
Every reporter makes mistakes at some point.
Any news agency worth its salt will print a retraction or an apology when they misrepresent the truth.
I hate to go down the well trod path of "Engadget are apple lovers" but compare the tone of this story (about a research organisation inventing a unique technology that spawned an entire industry) to the story "Apple vs HTC: a patent breakdown" (which contains a patent for 'Unlocking A Device By Performing Gestures On An Unlock Image', hardly groundbreaking tech), "Apple granted design patent for original iPhone, iPod touch" or even "Nokia sues Apple again, says the iPad 3G infringes five patents". The tone of these articles is nowhere near as inflammatory as articles about the CSIRO.
Everytime Engadget posts a 'patent troll' story about the CSIRO, there are many, many comments exposing the fact that the CSIRO is a government agency funded by taxpayers dollars that sunk a lot of money and time into inventing wifi and submitted a patent for it back in 1993. About a decade later a bunch of tech companies decided to use the tech without licensing it. Keep in mind that they created a completely new technology, we are not talking about something as basic as "slide your finger across the screen to unlock". Is Engadget now supporting the US based production of KIRF wifi?
Perhaps its because the CSIRO is not an everyday name like nokia,apple etc, doesnt make shiny consumables and is on the other side of the world...? it's easier to criticise when you have no link to what you are criticising.
Poorly researched, poorly executed.
@shmergin
PS: Very poor form that Tim Stevens didnt even provide a rebuttal to all the comments posted.
I would think that after so many reactions over the years to every single CSIRO bashing post that Engadget would at least try to tone down the bias in subsequent articles.
I almost misread that directors name.. :D
@DarkGrimoire like will ferrel (as george bush) warned.. :D
@DarkGrimoire hahahahahaaaaaaaaaaa uuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhh No....
Wow.....so anyone who makes or sold something wifi enabled and hasn't paid them to do so is a target? that list could get lengthy....and no one has stood up to them and just let it go to court?
@Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi Well they DID invent the technology. They have many licensees already and they would have been approached asking about licensing long before this. Not to mention that this funds more research as opposed to lining the pockets of CEOs
@xaduurv well if they invented it why the hell don't these companies know this before making and selling these things without the appropriate licenses?
@Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi
They knew, they just wanted to save money on it. There's no way you use a standard like WiFi without checking this if you have half a clue what you're doing.
Just to clarify some things about the CSIRO for readers, they do much, much more than just patent troll, they also greatly help Australian farmers and other primary industries. Why they've taken a turn here is beyond me.
@aeth the reason is because the CSIRO are not a global charity but an Australian research organisation mostly funded by Australian tax dollars but they also have been told to comercialise their technology were possible ie patents. US research organisations also do the exact same thing and Australians and others have to license the technologies. Fair go as we say in Australia, if you want us to pay for your research you can pay for ours.
@aeth
Maybe they gained a Robin Hood complex to steal from the rich industries to give to the poor, more humble ones.
@MeVirtually
I agree, this is a bigger deal than vegemite imho.
Patent bully, that's a laugh, the people behind this technology spent years and many a late night researching how to get what was thought to be impossible to actually work and then applied for a patent. The fact many took a free ride and are now having to pay up is anything but fair, they should have licensed it years ago when they had the chance (and many did, cough CISCO).
@MrLinux 'zactly. CSIRO gave these clowns every chance to legally licence the QAM tech CSIRO invented, at very reasonable terms, only to be ignored and ripped off for years.
CSIRO are the victims here; they put all the work in, and any money they get for this will be used for further research, not pissed away on CEO bonuses, ad campaigns and shareholder dividends.
@MrLinux I agree. Those that settled were right and smart to do so. Those that have not, well..
lets not forget Engadget, that the CSIRO is there as a public company of the australian people. Therefore, this is the australian people versus a bunch of foreign companies stealing our technology and not compensating for it.
Also, all the money it gets can go into further research of scientific endevours and ggrants towards groundbreaking australian companies such as cochular. Lets not present the CSIRO as an evil corporation out to get the oh so good and innocent american telecom carriers.
We all lose ones we love.
@Foo Bar
LOL - but not many have it happen so suddenly, and with a stainless steel boomerang. One of the great action movies of all time.
If they could sue Apple and not HTC.. I'm all for the lawsuits =)
"Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organi_S_ation"
Fixed!
@zo1dberg
+1
I too can't stand the American spelling of words with a Z that should be spelled with an S.
@BourbonBoy Lets just be clear, the spelling comes from England where the language began. So just remember that Aussie's spell it the RIGHT way
@BourbonBoy It's not just that, but the CSIRO spells their name with an "s" in "Organisation". If an American company decides to use American spelling in their name, I'd be observant of it and respect that as well. It's just a lack of professionalism if you don't, to be honest.
Same goes with the Australian Labor Party - they use American spelling in their name (one of the reasons why I won't vote for 'em! :) so when quoting them in text, it looks unprofessional to misspell their name.
Perhaps engadget staff should pay attention, 'cause it's not the first time they've misspelled their name.
@zo1dberg
While you are correct in this regard by the CSIRO's use of Organisation.
Other comments about Organization being an Americanism is incorrect and far more complex than you think. The ise is actually taken from French and Greek words.
The Oxford dictionary lists the ize version primarily with the ise version as a variation. The Cambridge dictionary contradicts the Oxford.
The Australian Macquarie dictionary, I am fairly sure has changed to the use of ize, can't be bothered spending $40 by joining the site to find this out for you though. (note the wiki page I will link to later states the opposite)
If you are a user of MS word and have the Australian dictionary set as your default, both variations will be accepted as correct. MS only follow what are in our local dictionaries for these spellings.
More info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_spelling_differences#-ise.2C_-ize_.28-isation.2C_-ization.29
Que the cyberpunk type corporate mercenaries and let the hits begin.
@TimeForTheFairTax Que?
Uh, how long has 802.11a/g been available on the commercial market? I think "a" has been available for over a decade and "g" for nearly as long.
Yo, CSIRO...a little late to the party, aren't we?
@POD77 Thankyou, said far better than I would have been able to.
just so everyone knows, CSIRO is the little guy, they had to sell all their research boats a couple years ago because they couldnt afford to maintain them. All this means is one less bedroom on half a dozen guys houses at AT&T when csiro inevitably pwns them
*notices how Sprint is noticeably missing*
@MegaJapan They probably did the *right* thing and paid their licensing fees
Please correct your article. CSIRO is not a company, it is an agency of the Australian govt. Sort of like a combination of US agencies like NIST and NOAA (CSIRO in fact does climate research too). This is not patent trolling; their scientists really did do the research.
@Tim Stevens
You're a moron. Do some research next time.
@paulus
Better yet, let there not be a next time. Join the tabloids, that's where you belong.
Eww. Look at those compression artifacts. Must be a pirated copy of that glorious movie...
@Bahumbug I would guess that's Mad Max, but I really don't know. What is it?
@trainwrecka It is indeed. Awesome film
@trainwrecka
It is not Mad Max, it is The Road Warrior (Mad Max 2). /movienerd
Thank you for clearing up this article Engadget commenters! I now feel for CSIRO.