Wow!
Just a week ago, we asked you to help us bust the patent being used to threaten podcasters. First, we were looking for help to raise $30,000 in two weeks to cover the costs of fighting this patent. With your help, we hit our goal in just ten hours! You can still contribute here.
Second, we asked that you help us identify prior art—proof that Personal Audio's patent should never have been granted in the first place. Details on what we need to find, and where you can send it, can be found here. We've had many fine suggestions and we're investigating each one closely to build the best case we can. Please take a look at our original request and share your ideas through our Ask Patents page or by emailing podcasting@eff.org.
We're overwhelmed with your support so far, and cannot thank you enough. Our search for prior art continues and the amount of work EFF can do to fight bad patents overall depends on your financial contributions.
There's more good news to share: not only have we accomplished much toward our immediate goal of busting the Personal Audio patent, but we've been able to raise awareness surrounding the serious patent troll problem in this country. This week alone, both Public Radio shows Planet Money and This American Life talked about the podcasting troll to illustrate the larger problem. That hard work is paying off, too: President Obama threw the weight of the White House behind real patent reform, an important step in the right direction.
All of which is to say, thank you. We're working hard to get crappy patents out of the way of innovation, and we're seeing some real progress. We're proud to stand with our supporters at this turning point for patents and innovation, and your help directly translates into real results.
