An Update on the Desire2Learn vs. Blackboard Patent Lawsuit
Some of you might still be following the patent lawsuit filed by Blackboard against Desire2Learn several years ago.
The initial court decisions were for Blackboard but the US Patent Office also opened the patent claims for more investigation.
Yesterday, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled in favor of Desire2Learn which basically overturned the lower court’s ruling. John Baker, Desire2Learn’s President, announced it on Twitter and the news spread pretty quickly.
As you can imagine, reaction from Blackboard is that of disappointment. Reaction from Desire2Learn is, well, happy.
There are still lawsuits in action here and in Canada but this is a major development in the saga. Steven Downes has a pretty complete history of the lawsuit at his site.
Reactions by others:
News: Blackboard Loses on Appeal – Inside Higher Ed
BohrerED – notes about academic technology: Great news for Desire2Learn
The Financial Impact of the Patent Loss on Blackboard
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