http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/balthaser/ As a concerned citizen I am writing in response to the patent issued to Balthaser Online (7,000,180) by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. I am DEEPLY disturbed by this all-inclusive patent that would stifle innovation and render many of the most useful websites on the Internet inoperable. Here are just SOME of the reasons for the reversal: 1. The patent is much too broad, because my view of what a rich-media application is could be vastly different from Balthaser Online. 2. Many of my applications could be considered rich-media, as well as millions of others. 3. The cost of changing applications to not use rich-media would be devastating to the web development community. 4. The economy now depends on large commercial and consumer websites (Amazon, eBay, Google, Yahoo!, Wal-Mart, etc.) and forcing them to change or pay out royalties would collapse an already fragile economy. 5. The technologies used in creating rich-media applications DID NOT ORIGINATE WITH BALTHASER! They didn't even create the software used to run their own website or the websites of their clients! I urge whomever is responsible to quickly reverse this patent. Thank you, Sean Gates Tue, 14 Mar 2006 20:0:03 CST en-us 3 http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/balthaser/#sig5685853 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST Prior Art, Broad and Obvious http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/balthaser/#sig5016506 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST I support this petition. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/balthaser/#sig4995166 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST I support this petition. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/balthaser/#sig4894441 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST I support this petition. This is another example of people using patent law, not to protect their own work, but simply make a buck off of someone else. The idea of create application, be they rich media or otherwise, via the web is as old as the web itself. The abilities to create and modify assets and access accounts and statistics is the very nature of computing. As such, the patent does not cover a non obvious solution especially since the assets being created are themselves products of another company. This patent is nonsense and should be reversed. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/balthaser/#sig4833319 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST I support this petition. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/balthaser/#sig4819118 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST I support this petition. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/balthaser/#sig4818178 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST I support this petition. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/balthaser/#sig4818162 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST I support this petition. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/balthaser/#sig4818154 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST I support this petition. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/balthaser/#sig4818124 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST I support this petition. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/balthaser/#sig4804976 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST I support this petition. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/balthaser/#sig4593624 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST I support this petition. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/balthaser/#sig4592367 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST has been shut down due to a lawsuit received from Balthaser Online Inc. - We support this petition. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/balthaser/#sig4588853 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST I support this petition. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/balthaser/#sig3607524 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST This is a blatant mis-use of the patent process. Personally, I would like to see software patents banned as it creates uncertainty for all software developers. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/balthaser/#sig3482854 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/balthaser/#sig2752948 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST No Comments... http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/balthaser/#sig2579514 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/balthaser/#sig2429940 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST Stop this GIVE any Patent to ANY tom dick and harry http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/balthaser/#sig2341126 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST Why oh Why was this patent granted in the first place. Surely it's the patenting process that is at fault here. Any looney can apply for a patent, you've got to rely on the patents office to determine whether they're crazy or not