Blackboard Are Not Alone

Blackboard are not alone 03-August-2006

Aha - we may have a fight on our hands.

Tim Schlotfeldt reports that SAP have applied to the European Patent Office for a patent including:

* CONTENT BASED MESSAGING FOR E-LEARNING * STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS FOR A COLLABORATIVE E-LEARNING SYSTEM * E-LEARNING STATION AND INTERFACE * NAVIGATING E-LEARNING COURSE MATERIALS * E-LEARNING COURSE EDITOR * E-LEARNING AUTHORING TOOL * OFFLINE E-LEARNING * E-LEARNING SYSTEM * E-LEARNING COURSE STRUCTURE * E-LEARNING STRATEGIES * CONTENT BASED MESSAGING FOR E-LEARNING * STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS FOR A COLLABORATIVE E-LEARNING SYSTEM

Dirk Stieglitz has been burrowing away on the horrible EPO website and has come up with a list of SAP e-learning patent applications.

Can someone pass this on to Blackboard. Let the bastards slog it out in court I say. And the rest of us can get on with our work. But seriously, how many more of these applications exist?

And, one more worrying thing. The German government, which holds the rotating EU presidency for the first half of 2007, has announced a priority to strengthen Intellectual Property Rights.

Graham Attwell; 03-August-2006 14:08:57;

From www.knownet.com/writing/weblogs/Graham_Attwell/entries/7404860892 3 August 2006 The Dirk Stieglitz List

1 CONTENT BASED MESSAGING FOR E–LEARNING Inventor: DORNER ELMAR [DE];GROSSMANN MARKUS [DE] Applicant: SAP AG [DE] Publication info: EP1537553 A2 — 2005-06-08 IPC: (IPC1-7): G09F9/46 ; G09B5/12

2 STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS FOR A COLLABORATIVE E–LEARNING SYSTEM Inventor: THEILMANN WOLFGANG [DE];GERTEIS WOLFGANG [DE]; ALTENHOFEN MICHAEL [DE] Applicant: SAP AG [DE] Publication info: EP1502247 A2 — 2005-02-02 IPC: (IPC1-7): G09B5/00

3 E–LEARNING STATION AND INTERFACE Inventor: KREBS ANDREAS S [DE];ALTENHOFEN MICHAEL [DE];SCHAPER JOACHIM [US];GERTEIS WOLFGANG [US];LEIDIG TORSTEN [DE] Applicant: SAP AG [DE] Publication info: EP1500064 A1 — 2005-01-26 IPC: (IPC1-7): G09B5/00

4 NAVIGATING E–LEARNING COURSE MATERIALS Inventor: ALTENHOFEN MICHAEL [DE];KREBS ANDREAS S [DE];GERTEIS WOLFGANG [DE] Applicant: SAP AG [DE] Publication info: EP1500065 A1 — 2005-01-26 IPC: (IPC1-7): G09B5/00

5 E–LEARNING COURSE EDITOR Inventor: ALTENHOFEN MICHAEL [DE];LEIDIG TORSTEN [DE];KREBS ANDREAS S [DE];SCHAPER JOACHIM [US];GERTEIS WOLFGANG [US] Applicant: SAP AG [DE] Publication info: EP1497809 A1 — 2005-01-19 IPC: (IPC1-7): G09B5/00

6 E–LEARNING AUTHORING TOOL Inventor: ALTENHOFEN MICHAEL [DE];SCHAPER JOACHIM [US];GERTEIS WOLFGANG [DE];KREBS ANDREAS [DE];LEIDIG TORSTEN [DE] Applicant: SAP AG [DE] Publication info: EP1493139 A1 — 2005-01-05 IPC: (IPC1-7): G09B5/00

7 OFFLINE E– LEARNING Inventor: KREBS ANDREAS S [DE];ALTENHOFEN MICHAEL [DE];THEILMANN WOLFGANG [DE] Applicant: SAP AG [DE] Publication info: EP1490854 A2 — 2004-12-29 IPC: (IPC1-7): G09B5/00

8 E–LEARNING SYSTEM Inventor: SCHAPER JOACHIM [US];ALTENHOFEN MICHAEL [DE];GERTEIS WOLFGANG [DE];KREBS ANDREAS S [DE] Applicant: SAP AG [DE] Publication info: EP1481382 A1 — 2004-12-01 IPC: (IPC1-7): G09B5/00

From www.knownet.com/writing/weblogs/Graham_Attwell/entries/7404860892 3 August 2006 9 E–LEARNING COURSE STRUCTURE Inventor: ALTENHOFEN MICHAEL [DE];KREBS ANDREAS S [DE];GERTEIS WOLFGANG [DE];SCHAPER JOACHIM [US];LEIDIG TORSTEN [DE];MEDER NORBERT [DE] Applicant: SAP AG [DE] Publication info: EP1481381 A1 — 2004-12-01 IPC: (IPC1-7): G09B1/00

10 E–LEARNING STRATEGIES Inventor: KREBS ANDREAS S [DE];SCHAPER JOACHIM [US];ALTENHOFEN MICHAEL [DE];LEIDIG TORSTEN [DE];MEDER NORBERT [DE];GERTEIS WOLFGANG [DE] Applicant: SAP AG [DE] Publication info: EP1474791 A1 — 2004-11-10 IPC: (IPC1-7): G09B5/00

From www.knownet.com/writing/weblogs/Graham_Attwell/entries/7404860892 3 August 2006