Dell Patents "Reboot and See If That Fixes It" Tech Support Process

"Dell announced that they had been granted a patent for the 'reboot and see if that fixes it' technical support process, which they pioneered.

'We're really taking our cue from other industries,' said CEO Michael Dell. 'The American Medical Association patented the 'let's see if that hurts tomorrow' treatment plan and General Motors patented the 'turn it off and start it up again' fixing process for automobiles.'

Dell explained that this patent gives them an edge over competitors who will have to find another way to help customers, or be forced to pay Dell royalties....

Competitors are scrambling for a solution. Representatives for HP said they would change their process to avoid violation of the patent. They will now tell customers 'to reboot and call them back if that doesn't fix it,' the call back being the crucial difference....

Patent enforcement won't be limited to large corporations. Dell plans on charging royalties to individuals as well. 'Margins are tight and sales are slumping. We need to find a way to boost profits, so we've also requested wire taps for anyone with a mother or father who owns a computer,' explained Dell.

Dell said the patent applies to hardware issues and that Microsoft holds the patent for fixing software problems with a reboot." [BBspot, via cloudy, chance of sun breaks]

No way - we at SLS will vouch for prior art from Gateway....  ;-)

Today the kids brought home their first Scholastic Book Clubs order form of the year. I'm sure you remember these from your own school days. We both loved them when we were young so we let the kids order liberally from them. I loved them so much that I used to work the book fair just to be able to browse the books at length. I guess I should have known then that I was destined to be a librarian.  :-)

In this year's form, I'm struck by how many kids toys there are that look like adult electronic devices. There's an "amazing secret spy kit" that looks like a cell phone (I had to tell Brent three times that it isn't actually a cell phone before he'd believe me). There's a calculator watch, a calculator that looks like a cell phone, an electronic pinball game for your key chain, a "secret message pen" that records messages, a clamshell calculator for your key chain, a "mini radio" that is a single earpiece (it looks like one of those Bluetooth headsets for your cell phone), and a calculator key chain that looks like a Palm 500 series PDA, including stylus.

And these kids are growing up with these things. When it comes time for them to graduate to the "real thing," it will be an easier transition for them. Small gadgets (PDAs, cell phones, MP3 players) will be to them what garage door openers and VCRs are to my generation - things that you use without giving them a second thought. They just work, and you don't care how.

As Kate says, "Documentation is wasted on the young."

Apple: Reselling iTunes Songs 'Impractical'

"An Apple Computer executive on Monday downplayed recent questions over the download resale policy of the company's iTunes Music Store, saying technical if not legal barriers would largely prevent such transfers from taking place.

'Apple's position is that it is impractical, though perhaps within someone's rights, to sell music purchased online,' Peter Lowe, Apple's director of marketing for applications and services, told CNET News.com in an interview.

Lowe's comments came after eBay last week pulled an auction seeking to sell an iTunes download, saying the attempted sale violated the site's listings policies.

Web developer George Hotelling had put the song up for auction Tuesday evening, hoping to highlight the question of whether Internet customers can resell songs they've purchased in digital form.

Under the "First Sale" doctrine, the owner of a lawful copy of a work is allowed to sell it without the permission of the copyright owner. But legal interpretations of the doctrine, most recently from the U.S. Copyright Office, have found that the doctrine does not apply to digital goods, according to online copyright experts....

Lowe also said that with songs selling for 99 cents apiece, reselling music could be financially impractical.

'Economically, I don't believe there is going to be much of a market for resold music...We just don't see it as that much of an issue,' he said." [CNET News.com]

(Emphasis above is mine.)

In other words, Apple (what appeared to be one of the most customer-friendly and educational institution-friendly companies) doesn't think enough of the "First Sale" doctrine to build support for it into its digital music product. To them, it's "impractical" and you might, sort of, "perhaps" have the right to resell their products that you legally purchase online. Oh, and 99 cents is plenty cheap enough for you to buy all the songs you want, too, so you just quit complaining and give us your credit card number already.

Do you seriously still doubt that publishers will try to lock libraries out of circulating digital files?