paulallen
Latest
In Idea Man, Paul Allen tells his side of co-founding Microsoft without pulling any punches
These days Paul Allen is largely known for his ridiculously oversized yacht, his lawsuits, and his quest for commercial space flight, but of course it was co-founding Microsoft with Bill Gates that gave him the billions necessary to do all that fun stuff in the first place. Now he's looking back, writing a book called The Idea Man that, according to him, sets the record straight about the past -- starting with the title. Between the covers he alternately praises Bill Gates, saying he's "everything you'd want from a friend, caring and concerned," and lambasts him for his "mercenary opportunism" and for trying to dilute his share in the company, saying Gates was "out to grab as much of the pie as possible and hold on to it." Seems like Mr. Allen may have just burned a few bridges, but when you're worth about $13 billion that's the sort of thing you can get away with.
Paul Allen files amended complaint, points out exactly where patent infringement is hiding
Left with just two weeks to explain exactly how seven of the web's biggest properties (and three office supply chains) violated his company Interval's patents, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen figured out a plan -- Intervals' lawyers are drawing big, colored boxes around large swaths of the allegedly infringing websites' real estate. In all seriousness, a lot of companies may owe Allen a lot of money if Interval truly has a case, because Interval claims to have patented no less than the ability for a website to take a user-selected piece of content and suggest other related pieces of content that might be of interest. Oh, and it's also apparently patented pop-ups and widgets, as most anything that displays information "in an unobtrusive manner that occupies the peripheral attention of the user" is getting the same treatment. Hilariously, it appears that the co-founder of Microsoft didn't provide his lawyers with basic scanning technology, because the PDF of the exhibits they uploaded to the court's web site is just epically bad -- check out everything they say infringes in the gallery below. Disclaimer: We should note that AOL is among the companies being sued by Allen and Interval, and that Engadget is owned by AOL. So you know, just think about that a bunch, or something. %Gallery-112185%
Judge throws out Paul Allen's massive patent suit, Allen plans to continue
Remember the massive patent lawsuit leveled at Apple, Google, AOL, Facebook, ebay, Netflix, and a number of other companies by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen? Well, it's now hit something of a snag -- a federal judge dismissed the case on Friday, stating that Allen's suit "failed to identify the infringing products or devices with any specificity," and that the court and defendants were basically "left to guess what devices infringe on the four patents." For his part, Allen apparently plans to persevere with the patent fight, and said through a spokesman that the dismissal was merely a "procedural issue," and that "the case is staying on track" -- Allen now has until December 28th to file an amended complaint.
Paul Allen's lawsuit against Apple dismissed
The suit filed against Apple (and others) by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen was dismissed as being too vague on Friday. According to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman has given Allen's company, Interval Licensing LLC (the plaintiff in the case), until December 28 to file an amended complaint. "The allegations in the complaint are spartan," wrote Judge Pechman. Allen called the judge's order a "procedural issue" through a spokesperson. Allen's suit, filed in August of 2010, identifies four specific patents. Each appears to be a huge part of how contemporary e-commerce and internet search tools work. For example, one addresses how websites suggest products based upon customers' recent searches. Another lets those reading a news story quickly find related stores, while the two others let ads and news items, among other things, flash on a computer screen adjacent to what the user is directly looking at. No specific dollar amount was identified. Allen's suit names Apple, Ebay, Facebook, Netflix and Aol among others (Note: TUAW is owned by Aol). Apple joined Facebook, Yahoo! and others in formal opposition to the suit in October. [Via AppleInsider]
Apple joins Facebook, Google, others to combat Paul Allen's charges
Back in August, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen formally sued 11 tech companies, including Apple, over the use of technologies for which he holds the patents. Now, Apple has joined Google, Facebook, Yahoo! and others in opposing the suit. Google initially filed a motion to dismiss the claims on October 18th, stating that Allen's company, Interval Research (which ceased operation in 2000), had failed to explain exactly how Google had supposedly violated its patents. Additionally, Google claims that Interval is lumping all 11 defendants together without demonstrating any "coordinated action." Apple joined Google and others on October 21st with its own filing, stating, "Interval has sued eleven major corporations and made the same bald assertions that each defendant infringes 197 claims in four patents. As the U.S. Supreme Court noted in Twombly, it is in this type of situation in which courts should use their 'power to insist upon some specificity in pleading before allowing a potentially massive factual controversy to proceed." In other words, spill the goods or move on. Allen's suit identifies four specific patents, including one that determines how websites suggest products based upon customers' recent searches, and another that lets users reading a news story quickly find related stores. We'll have more on this story as it develops.
Paul Allen's company sues Apple, Google
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has formally sued Apple, Google and several others over the use of technologies for which he holds the patents. The Wall Street Journal was unable to reach any of the parties involved for comment, but notes that Allen has been going after companies, many of them high-profile, that he believes are using software that was developed in his Silicon Valley laboratory several years ago. The suit identifies four specific patents. Each appears to be a huge part of how contemporary e-commerce and Internet search tools work. For example, one addresses how websites suggest products based upon customers' recent searches. Another lets those reading a news story quickly find related stores, while the two others let ads and news items, among other things, flash on a computer screen adjacent to what the user is directly looking at. No specific dollar amount was identified. Allen's spokesman, David Postaman, told the Journal, "Paul thinks this is important, not just to him but to the researchers at Interval who created this technology." Others named in the suit include Ebay, Facebook, Netflix and Aol (Note: TUAW is owned by Aol). We'll keep an eye on this story and post any updates.
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen sues Apple, Google, Facebook, AOL, eBay, Netflix, Yahoo!, Staples, OfficeMax, Office Depot, and YouTube over patents
Microsoft's co-founder Paul Allen has filed suit against nine companies over patent violations. Through his current firm, Interval Licensing LLC, Allen is suing Apple, Google, AOL, Facebook, ebay, Netflix, Office Depot, OfficeMax, Staples, Yahoo, and YouTube (which is a subsidiary of Google). The claims involve four separate patents, most of which cover integral parts of how the companies named do business. For example, one patent allows site suggestions for consumers based on things they're currently viewing, while another allows related articles to be delivered while reading news. All in all, it sounds like Allen's patents -- if they're indeed found to cover these technologies -- are seriously vast. The suit, which was filed today, does not name any specific amount of damages he is seeking. Allen, who is one of the richest people in the world with an estimated worth of over $13 billion, recently pledged to donate over half of his wealth to philanthropic causes after Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates called on the world's billionaires to do so.
Dr. Henry Edward Roberts, personal computing pioneer, loses battle with pneumonia
Sad news out of Georgia this morning, Dr. Ed Roberts, pioneer of personal computing, has died of pneumonia at the age of 68. Roberts founded Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) in 1970. In 1974 his company released the $395 Altair 8800. It was based on Intel's revolutionary 8080 processor and, after being featured on the cover of Popular Electronics (included after the break), would become the world's first truly popular personal computer. It would be on this machine that the former Micro-Soft would get its start, with Bill Gates and Paul Allen being contracted by Roberts to write Altair BASIC, a version of the simple programming language that Allen delivered by hand on paper tape to the MITS office in Albuquerque. Those two are remembering him today with the following statement: Ed was willing to take a chance on us -- two young guys interested in computers long before they were commonplace -- and we have always been grateful to him... The day our first untested software worked on his Altair was the start of a lot of great things. We will always have many fond memories of working with Ed in Albuquerque, in the MITS office right on Route 66 -- where so many exciting things happened that none of us could have imagined back then. Our thoughts go out to the Roberts family this morning.
Digeo purchased by Arris, promises continued Moxi development, sales and support
After a post-CES "streamlining" resulted in layoffs and left highly anticipated products like the Multi-Room HD DMR to never see the light of day the future of Moxi DVR builder Digeo has remained in doubt, but that's all behind us as it has been acquired by ARRIS. Promising not only continued support for current Moxi customers but also plans to continue to develop and market the line of products, it appears the communications company sees this as a way to expand its own networking expertise. The cost to snap up Digeo's IP, 75 employees and other assets? A mere $20 million cash - we expect to find out more details via conference call tomorrow, any questions you want answered about the future of Moxi? Let us know in the comments, whether this means the UI will get a makeover is already on our list.
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen sells LTE spectrum to AT&T
Here's one straight from the depths of left field. If you'll recall, Microsoft's co-founder Paul Allen was considering buying a bit of spectrum from the 700MHz auction after founding Vulcan Spectrum LLC. Evidently, the guy's bid ended in a win, but he's obviously not so keen on getting in on the flagging MVNO business. According to a document filed with the FCC, Allen has agreed to sell the licenses he owns -- which cover sections of Oregon and Washington -- to AT&T, though the carrier isn't disclosing financial terms. According to AT&T spokesman Michael Coe, the company is making the purchase to "meet customer demand and to support its transition to LTE." Unfortunately, Mr. Allen wasn't available to say what he was planning to do with the proceeds, though we did hear that one Kayne West was available to reiterate his belief that LTE was the best of all time.[Via phonescoop]
Paul Allen: Microsoft co-founder, 700MHz auction candidate
When you're the co-founder of Microsoft there's always that nagging question of what to do with your millions billions. How 'bout bidding for some of that hot 700MHz action in the sweetspot of US spectrum? Seems that Paul Allen has filed to bid in the FCC auction with an entity called Vulcan Spectrum LLC -- an investment company. Hint: Allen is also the majority shareholder of cable operator Charter Communications. Other notables on the list include Google and Verizon Wireless, naturally, as well as Qualcomm -- the protector of patents and MediaFLO mogul. Remember, Qualcomm already holds 700MHz licenses obtained in a June 2003 FCC auction. It all goes down on January 24th when the bidding begins.[Thanks, Grant G.]
