Along with [Using Tcl to write WWW client side applications], Eolas [http://www.eolas.com/]
is well known for inventing the Web plugin/applet platform, and the associated patent that they're currently enforcing against [Microsoft] [http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20021107.html].

Developer of the Eolas WebRouser [http://www.webhistory.org/www.lists/www-talk.1995q3/0566.html] [http://ksi.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/archives/HTML-WG/html-wg-94q3.messages/0059.html], which was cited by [Robert X. Cringely] as invalidating prior art [http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20030130.html] for the infamous SBC Web patent.  Cringely in other columns has written about how Eolas "is mopping the floor" in its judicial encounters with [Microsoft], by which he means that the company is winning court cases--maybe big and important ones.

... and has won! [http://news.com.com/2100-1012-5062409.html] (Well, subject to appeal).

The W3C has issued this statement on the subject: http://www.w3.org/2003/08/patent

And Eolas has issued this response: http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1304252,00.asp

In January, 2004, US District Court reaffirms the jury decision against
Microsoft:
http://www.computerworld.com/newsletter/0,4902,89086,00.html?nlid=AM 

In February, 2004, here's a blog discussing the fact that the patent is being reexamined in a prior art claim [http://weblog.siliconvalley.com/column/dangillmor/archives/001771.shtml#001771].  These articles [http://www.rkmc.com/pdf/ip_of_the_year.pdf] [http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/02/technology/02patents.html], however, strongly suggest that the reexamination process will be futile, since the "prior art" that's been claimed was actually presented to the jury in the Microsoft trial.

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[Clif Flynt] reported on his work for Eolas at the San Diego conference in 2000.

[Michael Doyle] is Eolas' CEO.

[Steve Ball] did a paper with Eolas at a Tcl conference:
[http://www.usenix.org/event/tcl00/full_papers/ball/ball_html/].

[Steve Wahl] worked for Eolas on the [Spynergy] Toolkit and related projects.

[Dave Roseman], of Eolas, sponsored the development of [TclCLIPS]
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Check out [Slashdot] for ongoing debates on the subject - such as
[http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/09/12/1613222] 
Computerworld covers Microsoft changing in acknowledgement of the patent:
[http://computerworld.com/newsletter/0,4902,85804,00.html?nlid=AM]
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[Jacob Levy] Sep 15, 2003: Ray Ozzie of Visicalc and Groove fame [http://www.ozzie.net/blog/stories/2003/09/12/savingTheBrowser.html] thinks he has prior art invalidating Eolas's claim.

But it appears clear that his claims don't hold water: [http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=78377&threshold=-1&commentsort=1&tid=155&mode=nested&cid=6953668], [http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=78377&threshold=-1&commentsort=1&tid=155&mode=nested&cid=6954561] and [http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=78250&threshold=3&commentsort=1&tid=109&mode=thread&cid=6945536].

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Oct 31, 2003: the debate rages on - here are two new c|net articles (at
one time, c|net used the Tcl version of Vignette - does it still do that?)
[http://news.com.com/2102-7343_3-5099883.html?tag=st_util_print] 
[http://news.com.com/2102-1028_3-5100693.html?tag=st_util_print]
http://chronicle.com/prm/daily/2003/11/2003111801n.htm

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[Category Company]