Gadgetopia

U.S. Grants Patent For Broad Range Of Internet Rich Applications: Okay, this is crappy enough:

A patent has been granted to a relatively unknown California Web-design firm for an invention its creator says covers the design and creation of most rich-media applications used over the Internet. The patent holder, Balthaser Online Inc., says it could license nearly any rich-media Internet application across a broad range of devices and networks.

But here’s the crappier part — the company that got the patent is Balthaser Studios. I don’t know how many of you remember them, but back in 1999 they made perhaps the greatest Flash intro ever. I remember being blown out of my chair by this thing (does anyone know where it is now — I would love to see it again).

Because of this cool thing they made, I always had a soft spot for Balthaser. They were…cool. They delivered something that blew me away, and that made me look up to them. Unless this is a huge case of mistaken identity, that good feeling has suddenly vanished.

Mind you, they have no chance of defending this patent — the prior art here is huge — but it’s still lame as hell that they pursued this. Lamer still that the USPTO granted it.