Taskbar grouping patented by MS - Mentions kde-look ml as reference

[Torsten Rahn]

Am Samstag, 3. Juli 2004 13:18 schrieb Karl-Heinz Zimmer:
> Am Samstag, 3. Juli 2004 02:10 schrieb Pupeno:
> > On Friday July 2 2004 07:10, Torsten Rahn wrote:
> > > http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&
> > > http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=113191&threshold=2&commentsort=0&ti
> > >d=15 5&mode=nested&cid=9589101
> >
> > So, what happens now ? taskbar grouping will have to be removed from KDE
> > ? 

Well, if you would want to take the consequences like that you would have to 
remove kicker completely: If you look more closely at the other patent 
references you will realize that there exists a patent as well which 
describes a taskbar with startmenu ...

Torsten Rahn

> > Where does this patent apply ? USA ? world ? 
>
> Al least it is valid for the USA -- as long as we are not able to show
> prior art: patent was filed Apr. 6, 2000.
>
> Karl-Heinz