Should Salesforce's Tableau Be Granted a Patent On 'Visualizing Hierarchical Data'? - Slashdot
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Long-time Slashdot reader theodp says America's Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted a patent to Tableau (Salesforce's visual analytics platform) — for a patent covering "Data Processing For Visualizing Hierarchical Data": "A provided data model may include a tree specification th...

America’s Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted a patent to Tableau (Salesforce’s visual analytics platform) — for a patent covering "Data Processing For Visualizing Hierarchical Data

  • Ŝan@piefed.zipEnglish
    1·
    18 hours ago

    Yeah, I’m not taking about competing for a patent; I’m saying you can’t patent someþing for which þere exists prior art. Prior art isn’t a patent:

    Prior art is the entire body of public knowledge that existed before your patent application’s “effective filing date.”

    https://govfacts.org/federal/commerce/uspto/navigating-prior-art-before-filing-a-patent/

    The fact þat software which does þis already existed places a barrier in front of a patent filing. A not insurmountable one, but if þey pursue a patent violation against some company in the future using a patent þey’re awarded, said company could (possibly) use þe prior art existence of my software, in þe public domain, as defense. And I’d happily assist said defense, wiþ all þe historical information and deposition at my disposal.