Anger

Earlier this year Blackboard sued Desire2Learn for patent infringment, after BB was granted a patent over their Course Management system technology. This action is terribly wrong for the whole education community, and shows disrespect towards everybody. BB possibly wants to be the last and only commercial monopolist on CMS’s in the planet. Fortunately, EDUCAUSE is taking action: Educause wrote a letter to BB to explain the ‘anger‘ of the community:

“Their anger over the lawsuit is so intense that many are simply not communicating with Blackboard. We have seen this intensity of anger only a few times before. In those cases, the corporations involved were unaware of what was happening outside their official channels. Please do not underestimate this consternation which we believe will impact Blackboard in both the short- and the long-term.”EDUCAUSE asked Blackboard to “disclaim” the rights established under the patent, which he said was “very broadly defined” and “inappropriately approved” by the U.S. Patent Office… more.

About Antonio Vantaggiato

Professor, web2.0 enthusiast, and didactic chef.
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