New York judge pours scorn on BT patent claims

A New York judge has expressed serious doubts over BT's claim to the patent for hyperlinks.

The UK telco is claiming the patent means it is entitled to royalties for the use of hyperlinks - the clickable URLs used on almost all websites.

BT has a 26 year old patent on hyperlinks, but the judge, Colleen McMahon, suggests the age of the patent is a key issue. She suggested a patent filed long before the inception of the world wide web might no longer be relevant. According to reports she said comparing computer technology from 1976 to technology of 2002 is like comparing a mastodon with a jet. She also said BT's patent was archaic in its language and said reading it was like reading "old English".

Judge Colleen McMahon will release the findings of these preliminary discussions in April. A provisional date in September is believed to have been put aside for BT to begin its legal battle for royalties relating to the hyperlink patent.

For some free hyperlinks,