Summary:  the company Acadia Research claims they hold business process patents on the concept of streaming media across a network.  The five patents (the first dated in 1991) are so broad that they literally cover any type of streaming, be it audio, video, live feeds, or internet radio.  As a result, the company has sent out letters demanding a cut of profits from anyone doing streaming AND anyone hosting a web site which offers streaming. Even if a company does not stream audio and video from its website but links to websites that do, Acacia claims that also violates their patent.

 

So far the company has picked on smaller players: colleges and universities, web hosting firms, small time internet radio sites, and pornography sites.  They haven't gone after anyone big like the major technology players who stream media (RealMedia, AOL, Apple, or Microsoft.)  A group of companies served has banded together to challenge the assertion that Acadia can demand a percentage of their business, streaming or not, because of the patent violation. Many companies have caved, and now pay 3% of their gross profits and agree to future audits of their services by Acadia in order to continue streaming without hinderance.  Others simply removed streaming media from their website offerings. A group of 13 companies is countersuing, hearings slated to take place today. For more info on the fight against Acadia, see: