A U.K. firm claims to own several patents related to the process of downloading software and virus-protection updates over the Internet, and it wants a number of companies, reportedly including Microsoft, to pay royalties. Meanwhile, a Los Angeles-based patent-holding company claims patent rights in virtually all Internet streaming media services and is suing the major cable and satellite TV companies. ZDNet reader Tim Patterson summed it up nicely:

"Everytime I see these various companies engage in this extortion, it only serves to remind how corrupt these companies are and how broken our system is. Current patent law is nothing but destructive. Abusing patents seems to be the preferred option for companies who have failed to compete."