Verisign granted patent for domain name lookups
 

Verisign granted DNS lookup patent

Verisign has been granted a patent protecting the lookup of domain names. The patent protects the act of performing several look-ups at once, or "performing a multitude of searches simultaneously, transparent to the user.

"Specifically, the improved query server searches for an existing domain name records in various domains and then displays the results in a formatted manner, thus eliminating the need for a user to perform individual searches."

It would appear that a simple shell script that searches for theregister.com, .org or .net would fall foul of the "invention", which Verisign filed in 1998. The illustration implementation listed in the patent describes a Perl script that forks. In this discussion of the patent at ICANNwatch, Karl Auerbach points out that UNIX resolvers have been doing this since the mid 1980s.

Through its Network Solutions Inc. subsidiary, Verisign runs the lucrative .com and .net registries. ®

Giving verisign anymore control or power over anything is never a good thing. Bunch of cock knobs running that joint.

Yet another reason to CLOSE THE FUCKING PATENT OFFICE.

i agree

patenting is an easily abused, stupid concept, therefore it will do more harm than serve its intended purpose

I wonder if they'll go after DirecNIC for whois licensing fees now.

:1orglaugh

And yet they were granted the patent anyway. Gotta love the U.S. Patent Office :BangBang:

B

this is ridiculous.

Imagine the people that are typical of government workers trying to figure out and understand the techie terms on all the patent applications related to the Net.

It's a very screwed up situation and needs congressional attention to get them to get their act together over there.