The Burst.Com Story: David Meets Goliath And Collects $60 Million!

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 21 people | Log in to rate

Ranked #11,644 in Tech & Geek, #216,168 overall

Streaming media has become a hot topic as the bandwidth available expands dramatically each day. Burst.Com is a story that began in 1988 and for almost 20 years has not even been a minor blip on any technology radar screen. Yet today, Burst could be on the verge of exploding on the streaming media scene because of the 10 US patents and 34 international patents held by the company in the area of "Faster-Than-Real-Time" streaming or bursting.

The Burst.Com Story 

David Meets Goliath And Collects $60 Million

The Burst.Com story is about a technology that may be at the core of the next big thing in media delivery. It is also the story of a company that barely survived the Internet bubble that destroyed many technology companies in the Internet bust. It is also a David and Goliath story staring a tiny 3-man company pitted against the likes of Microsoft and Apple Computer. The Apple v Burst.Com trial is scheduled to begin February 26, 2008 in San Francisco.

This lens will explore the Burst.Com technology (the patents), Burst.Com's roller coaster ride from a stock price that reached almost $20 a share to a low of 3 cents a share and today's (3/14/06) stock price of $2 a share (BRST.PK). The lens will also delve into the settled Microsoft lawsuit, the pending Apple Computer lawsuit, the U2 connection, the missing MSFT emails and much more. There were also some White Knights who came along to help Burst through the rough times. Burst.Com is the story of a public company that was traded on NASDAQ, was delisted from NASDAQ as part of the bursting of the Internet bubble, and can be found today as a sometimes very thinly traded "penny stock" on the pink sheets. Relatively few people know about this company although it has been a public company since 1993.

Burst.Com Website
Burst.Com US Patent Portfolio

Markman Order Released By Judge Patel May 8, 2007 

The claim constructions in the order were very favorable to Burst.Com

A copy of the Markman order is on the Burst.Com website.
http://burst.com/new/newsevents/Apple_Burst_markman_ruling.pdf

Here are some Yahoo Message Board postings about the Markman order.

BRST Lawyers Pitch A Shutout - Almost A No Hitter

THE DEFINITIVE ORDER!

The Claims Construction Order 4 dummies

Apple v Burst.com Legal Documents From PACER 

You can find the legal filings in the Apple v Burst.com lawsuit at

http://www.squidoo.com/apple_vs_burst

Last update September 20, 2007

Burst.Com Patents NOT "Obvious" To Paul Boudreau In 1999 

Here is a brief clip from StreamingMedia.Com that has inventor Richard Lang explaining the Burst IP and Paul Boudreau of Microsoft asking "I'd like to know how you're doing it?"

Paul Boudreau:

Paul Boudreau
Senior Director of Streaming Solutions

InfoLibria


As the Senior Director of Streaming Solutions, Mr. Boudreau is responsible for setting the developmental "roadmap" for the company's streaming products based upon functionality requested by customers, prospects and partners. He has an extensive background in media technology, making him adept at understanding industry trends and innovations, and applying that knowledge to how streaming media will play an integral role in Internet content distribution and delivery solutions.

Before joining InfoLibria, he was Program Manager at Microsoft for windows Media Technologies, where his responsibilities included international and national business development and deployment of Windows streaming media products. His accomplishments in this position included leadership roles in developing large scale Internet events such as The Drew Carey Webcast, Mariah Carey Event, The David Bowie Downloadable CD and many others. Before Microsoft, he was Interactive Audio/Video Technical Coordinator - Video Systems Engineer at CNN, where he managed and directed the video team for CNN Interactive, and provided technical direction and research for the production and delivery of broadcast and streaming media.

http://www.actconferences.com/sisa/bio/boudreau.htm

How "obvious" Were The Burst.Com Patents?

Apple, Inc. v Burst.Com, Inc. Trial Date: February 26, 2008 Apple says that the Burst.Com patents are invalid because they are "obvious". Here is a clip from 1999 which suggests the patents were NOT "obvious" as late as 1999. The first patent was granted in 1990. Streaming Media '99 June 30, 1999 Paul Boudreau Microsoft Program Manager Windows Media Technologies Streaming Media Expert Richard Lang - Inventor US Patent 4,963,995 October 16, 1990 On June 30, 1999, Microsoft streaming media expert Paul Boudreau says "I'm just curious about your particular tool for doing this time acceleration issue. Sounds like a quantum mechanics nightmare." Paul Boudreau continues with "I mean this is a little heady stuff man. We're reaching into the future now. I'd like to know how you're doing it?" If the ideas found in the Lang patent were not obvious to a person skilled in the art of streaming media in 1999, how obvious would the ideas in the first patent have been in October 1990 when it was granted? Apple says that the ideas in the Lang patents were "obvious" but the historical facts indicate that the Lang ideas were NOT obvious. Even as late as 1999. For more information on this issue visit: www.squidoo.com/bursting

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curated content from YouTube

Banned By YouTube! 

NBD Television Ltd. claiming that this material was infringing





There is now a Squidoo Lens that documents the removal of these clips from YouTube.

http://www.squidoo.com/bannedbyyoutube

Great Artists Steal - Triumph of the Nerds - Revised 

Great Artists Steal - Triumph of the Nerds - Revised

This is a revised version of the Great Artists Steal clip uploaded to YouTube in October 2006 and removed by YouTube in March 2007. This revised clip now only excerpts 11 seconds from the PBS documentary hosted by Robert X. Cringely and should easily fall within the "fair use" part of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act. For more discussion visit http://www.squidoo.com/bannedbyyoutube or http:// www.squidoo.com/bursting for the rest of the story.

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curated content from YouTube

Apple's View of "Time Compressed" and Burst's View of "Time Compressed" 

                     

                                   Click Here To Enlarge The Image

A Demonstration Of Apple's Claim Construction For "Time Compression" 

"Time Compression" As Construed By Apple

Apple Computer wants to define "time compression" as found in the Burst.Com patents to mean "compressing information in time (for example, by playing a song or video faster than it was recorded)." Here is what videos would look like if they used Apple's version of "time compression". For the rest of the story visit: http://www.squidoo.com/bursting or visit http://messages.finance.yahoo.com/Stocks_(A_to_Z)/Stocks_B/f orumview?bn=24325 This is a "revised" version of the original clip to meet the "Cringely Doctrine of Fair Use" standard of 30 seconds.

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curated content from YouTube

Next Court Date - Apple v Burst.Com 

First Week in February - Claim Construction Hearing

04/28/06 DISCOVERY AND PRETRIAL SCHEDULE

BRST Yahoo Message Board 

The bainsters that operate the Yahoo Message Boards from time to time make enhancements that destroy the links to the BRST message board on Yahoo. Below is the most current link and some links to other BRST message boards on the Internet. If you experience a problem in connecting to the Yahoo Message Board for BRST or have other information about BRST message boards please send an email to burstingsquidoo@yahoo.com.
BRST Message Board on Yahoo
This is the most current link to the Yahoo Message Board for Burst.Com.
Investor Village for BRST
Another source for BRST discussions.
Atomic Bob's Golden Thread Message Board For BRST
Another source for BRST discussions.
Investor's Hub Message Board For BRST
Another source for BRST discussions.
Raging Bull Message Board For BRST
Another source for BRST discussions.

Apple Will License Technology from Burst 

Robert X. Cringely Prediction #15

The reason Apple changed its MacWorld announcements at the last minute was because the company sued little Burst.com a few days before, trying to invalidate the Burst patents. But since Apple sued Burst, Burst shares have gone UP by 30 percent. The market is rarely wrong. Suing Burst was an enormous mistake for Apple, casting a pall on their video strategy and potentially costing the company strategic alliances with networks and movie studios. Apple realizes this now and is struggling internally to find a way to change course and put a positive spin on the course correction. Apple will lose and Burst will win, and Apple won't be able to afford to wait for the courts to decide anything, since time is critical in staking out Internet video turf. I predict that Apple will eventually take a license from Burst, that is UNLESS SOME OTHER COMPANY (Google? Real? Yahoo?) doesn't snatch up Burst first.

The Complete Prediction With Comments Is Here

Pre Markman Hearing - October 10, 2006 

Notes by vasco_bill from the hearing posted on the Yahoo BRST Message Board

Pre Markman Notes #1
"Your honor, there's no disagreement that he spent 29-50 hrs. with our attorneys during Gobeli ... What disturbs us is that just a few months earlier he was in our tent; now he's throwing stones at our tent."

Pre Markman Notes #2
. When this judge's mind is made up, that's it! The argument is over! The tone of her voice changed, but still very calm and unemotional. But when she spoke, everyone in the courtroom knew that issue was decided, once and for all --

Pre Markman Notes #3
If you've downloaded the claims charts, you know that they are not all that informative. J. Patel agrees. So she instructed the parties to do an amended claims chart for all four patents. She wants them to define where are the differences in the claims terms. To do that she would like "more of a narrative" that comes after the proposed construction of each term.

Pre Markman Notes #4
This is a highly experienced and competent judge! She is definitely up to the challenge of this highly technological case. And, we've seen from her decision on the Bershad issue that she is fair-minded and precise in her reasoning. She studies the issues, focuses in on THE critical issue, and then makes a firm decision based on all the facts.

Final Thoughts & Opinion # 5
Steve Jobs and Richard Lang may think they are making the final decision to settle at some point, but I'd wager that the lawyers are heavily influencing each side to reach an amiable settlement for the reasons stated above.

Robert X. Cringely 

curated content from YouTube

iWoz: From Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It 

Mr Wozniak just blew open the infringement envelope by teresadactyl

"We didn't envision computers becoming storage areas for everything from music to movies. We knew that computers would have greater speed, and that disks would have greater density. We didn't know what that would mean in terms of which tools would make sense. The way computers are used at work, we did imagine. But we could not have imagined the personal computer would become so important at home. Almost everything you do in your life relates to it."

Steve Wozniak in the Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal Online
============================================

Mr Wozniak just blew open the infringement envelope (excerpts below)

Great find. He is certainly a person skilled in the art and he is saying essentially that the use of computers for storage of audio/video was HIGHLY non-obvious. What Mr. Wozniak has thus done is effectively provided testimony that highlights a huge area of infringement on Burst's patents over and above the novel use of compression (to deliver time based files in less than playback time).

And prey tell, what is that ? The use of random access storage in an audio/video transceiver to aggregate a digital audio/video object that can be decompressed, viewed, edited and even resent to a hi-def monitor.

"What is claimed is:

1. An audio/video transceiver apparatus comprising:....random access storage means, coupled to said compression means, for storing the time compressed representation of said audio/video source information...."

"...A still further object of the invention is to provide in such an improved audio/video recorder a capability for delivering output signals in different or formats including .... a digital output signal for viewing on a high-resolution monitor....."

It will be interesting to see what Mr. Wozniak says when he is deposed since he has gone on the record with testimony that substantially documents and expands the envelope of infringement by Apple upon Burst.com.

At least in my opinion.....

Cringely and teresadactyl on the Apple iTV box 

teresadactyl explains how the Burst.Com '995' applies to the Apple iTV device

         
(Click on the image to enlarge it)

That shoveling sound you hear is Mr. Jobs digging himself and Apple a deeper and deeper hole of patent infringement.

From the latest Cringely:

"..Now what about that USB port on the back of each iTV box?...The USB port is clearly intended for an Apple iSight camera, a webcam to go with your HDTV. It's iChat for Grandma...

From Burst patent '995, claim 10:

:....An audio/video transceiver apparatus as in claim 8 wherein said input means is coupled to an external television camera....."

From the latest Cringely:

".....It's evident from its High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connector (and lack of an S-Video connector) that the iTV is intended to connect primarily to high definition televisions....."

From Burst patent '995:

".....A still further object of the invention is to provide in such an improved audio/video recorder a capability for delivering output signals in different forms or formats including.... a digital output signal for viewing on a high-resolution monitor....."

BRST Yahoo Message Board's Most Recent Greatest Hits and Archive (Recommendations) 

The archive of Greatest Hits are now stored in a separate lens:

Click Here To View

Here it is: the 1991 iPod 

by teresadactyl

Claim 1 From The '995' Patent:

An audio/video transceiver apparatus comprising:

input means for receiving audio/visual source information;

compression means, coupled to said input means, for compressing said audio/video source information into a time compressed representation thereof having an associated time period that is shorter than a time period associated with a real time representation of said audio/video source information;

random access storage means, coupled to said compression means, for storing the time compressed representation of said audio/video source information; and

output means, coupled to said random access storage means, for receiving the time compressed audio/video source information stored in said random access storage means for transmission away from said audio/video transceiver apparatus.

1991 Version of the iPod

SEC Pump and Dump Warning 

Please follow the link to this page before exploring this lens. See Also the "Pump and Dump" criticism at the very bottom of this lens.

Pump&Dump.con: Tips for Avoiding Stock Scams on the Internet

The US Security and Exchange Commission explains how "Pump and Dump" works and discusses the following:

Consider The Source
Find Out Where The Stock Trades
Independently Verify Claims
Research the Opportunity
Check the SEC's EDGAR database
Watch Out for High-Pressure Pitches
Always Be Skeptical

For more information on how to use the Internet to invest wisely and avoid fraud, be sure to visit our Internet and Online Trading web page. There you'll find a vast array of tips, including Internet Fraud: How to Avoid Internet Investment Scams.

'995' File Wrapper 

Everything You Wanted To Know About US Patent# 4,963,995

The '995' patent is the first patent in the Burst.Com patent portfolio and it was issued on October 16, 1990. Every patent application has a file wrapper and this module will reproduce some key documents found in the '995' file wrapper. The USPTO has this to say about file wrappers:

"It contains a complete record of proceedings in the USPTO from the filing of the initial patent application to the issued patent. The file wrapper of a patent application that is maintained by the Office is the 'official record'."

All 32 claims in the original application for the '995' patent were rejected by the patent examiner in October 1989 and yet the patent was issued one year later in October 1990. The 'file wrapper' tells the story.

File Wrapper Cover Sheet

Patent Notice - October 16, 1990

Initial Application Claims Rejection - 7 Pages

Patents Referenced In Claims Rejection

Remarks Included With Amended Application Dated: March 12, 1990

Patent Attorney Changed

Notice of Allowability (New Claims Accepted)

Patent Expiration Episode

Steve Jobs and the Burst '995' Patent

A Treatise on Patent 4,963,995 by teresadactyl 

A detailed analysis into the first patent in the Burst.Com patent portfolio

Caution and disclaimer.

The author is none of the following: lawyer, patent examiner nor degreed engineer. The author holds a position in the shares of Burst.com. The author has no other current or past financial interest in Burst.com. The author is not, nor has ever been, an employee of, director of, or consultant to, Burst.com. The author has never met, nor is affiliated with, any persons in those capacities at Burst.com. The author has not been paid, or received any other consideration, for this writing.

Investors should consider this personal opinion. Investors should do their own due diligence before making a decision on whether to invest in the shares of Burst.com

Qualifications of the author:

held shares since the stock symbol for Burst.com (current BRST) was IVDO;
read each and every single one of the posts on the Silicon Investor threads re IVDO;
read and reviewed the many information sources and references posted at Burst investors website and the Burst.com squidoo lens
read the entirety of both first and second transcripts from the Markman Hearing in the Burst v. MSFT case, which was held to construe the claims of Burst's patents
have searched circa 500+ patents at uspto.gov related to early (pre 1988) digital video and audio compression
have read and reviewed all prior art cited by the four primary Burst patents: 4,963,995; 5,057,932; 5,164,839; 5,995,705
worked in high technology from 1976 to 1999 and invested in tech stocks during that time including video conferencing firms VSVR and PCTL
specialized in marketing at major min-computer vendors at a time (important) when client server computing was just getting underway
served as webmaster for a NASDAQ listed telecom from 1996 to 1999.
tested IVDO technology in ~1998 (as we were trying to find a way to implement video on the web)

A Treatise on Patent 4,963,995 ... or '995' for Dummies

Markman Hearings (February 26-27, 2004) 

BRST v. MSFT

Here are the court transcripts of the Markman Hearing held in Baltimore Federal District Court of Judge J. Frederick Motz.

Also included are the Claims Constructions that came out of these Markman Hearings.

Day One -- February 26, 2004

Day Two -- February 27, 2004

Judge Motz Claims Construction Opinion -- March 12, 2004

Judge Motz Reconsideration of Claims Construction Opinion -- June 22, 2004

Haskell Patent

Burst.Com/Microsoft Sublicense Agreement 

One of the mysterious aspects of the BRST/MSFT $60 million settlement

One part of the BRST/MSFT settlement included the following:

"The $60 million patent license provides Microsoft with the right to use Burst's intellectual property in its own technology and products thus giving Microsoft's customers the benefit of the Burst technology. Burst, however, retains the right to enforce its patent portfolio against those using Microsoft's technology and products who infringe by extending or going beyond those Microsoft offerings. The patent license also does not grant Microsoft any sublicense rights."

Burst.Com Press Release April 5, 2005

The final BRST/MSFT Settlement has never been published and little has been said about what is included in this document. However, that the 2005 Shareholders Meeting one person reported the following:

"He (Richard Lang) mentioned that a MS customer would be infringing if they added additional functionality such as DRM or billing, etc. (I.E., the customization we've all discussed here, when a customer uses the SDK, or software development kit from MS.) But he also said that a customer that allows its users to choose between WMP and another player app (Real, QT, etc.), would be infringing."

Notes-Impressions-SHM Part III

The link below will take you to a short video demonstration to show how AOL Video is providing access to a Dixie Chicks music video in both Windows and Macintosh formats. This use suggests the possibility that AOL Video is "going beyond those Microsoft offerings" and may not be covered under the BRST/MSFT license.

AOL Video Alleged Infringing of Burst/Microsoft SubLicense

Recent Burst.Com News 

Recent articles or documents that mention "bursting" or Burst.Com.
Search Google News
Search Google News For The Latest On Burst.Com
BRST Stock Chart 1996 to Today
Price history of BRST from 1996 including the most recent price and volume.
Underdog Or Patent Troll?
How Burst.com went from making software to suing tech giants

Richard Lang comes across as a mellow Californian. The youthful-looking 52-year-old lives on an 11-acre estate among apple trees in the hippy town of Sebastopol, north of San Francisco,...> (April 24, 2006)
Burst.com sues Apple for patent infringement
Burst.com has filed a countersuit against Apple Computer claiming that the iTunes software, the iPod and the Quicktime streaming software all infringe on patents held by Burst.com, Burst announced Monday.....> (published April 17, 2006)
Burst.com Files Patent Infringement Suit against Apple Computer: Announces Expansion of Legal Team
Burst.com, Inc. (OTC: BRST) today announced that it has filed counterclaims accusing Apple Computer of infringing four of Burst's U.S. patents. In the counterclaims, filed in Federal District Court in San Francisco on Monday, April 17th, Burst alleges that Apple's iTunes Music Store, iTunes software, the iPod devices, and Apple's QuickTime Streaming products infringe Burst's U.S. Patents 4,963,995; 5,995,705; 5,057,932 and 5,164,839....> (April 17, 2006)
Burst.com Wants a Piece of Apple
<....The case is reminiscent, to a limited extent, of NTP's suit against BlackBerry Integrate BlackBerry with your CRM Solution Latest News about BlackBerry for intellectual property infringement. The one clear exception is that Burst is not a so-called "patent troll" -- a company that holds patents but doesn't develop products.

Rather, Burst has a long history of producing and using its patented technology, which strengthens its case....> (published 4/18/06)

Newbies: START HERE 

Burst.Com Yahoo Message Board All-Star and future Burst.Com Hall of Famer teresadactyl presents a four part series that lays out the case for Burst.Com.

It look less than 2 hours for this 4 part series to go GOLD and receive the necessary 10 recommendations to be included in the Best of BRST Yahoo Message Board.

Burst due dillgence index PT 1
Burst due diligence index PT 2
Burst due diligence index PT 3
Burst due diligence index PT 4

Demonstrations of Bursting in Action and Examples of Alleged Infringements of the Burst.Com Patents 

Demonstrations of the Adobe Flash Player, RealNetworks Real Player, Apple iTunes and Google Video

These 3 MB clips are hosted at youtube.com and demonstrate how these players use the "Faster-Than-Real-Time" technology patented by Burst.Com to produce jitter free video. Due to bandwidth issues at youtube.com the playing of the video may start and stop. If this happens, wait until all the video is loaded and then click on "Replay This Video" to see the entire demonstration without interrruption.

Click Here To View The Adobe Flash Demonstration

Click Here To View The RealNetworks Demonstration

Click Here To View The Apple Demonstration

Click Here To View The Google Demonstration

Click Here To See The Original Video As Played On Google.Com

Burst.Com Supporters 

Burst Believers

Here you will find people that believe in the "bursting" technology and share their views on this topic.
BRST/MSFT Settlement
Bursted Not Busted
Burst Really Did Win Its Case With Microsoft and Here's Why

By Robert X. Cringely

Facing a potentially embarrassing hearing in Federal Court that might have seriously hurt the company's legal fortunes, Microsoft last week settled with Burst.com, the tiny Santa Rosa, Calif., software company that had sued Redmond for patent infringement, anti-trust, restraint of trade and breach of contract....>
(published March 15, 2005)

Bursting Nay Sayers 

People that don't believe in the Burst.Com patents.
Burst.com's streaming snake oil
While I was Apple's QuickTime Evangelist, I was a magnet for all kinds of folks who claimed to have miraculous codecs and other holy-grail technologies. Burst.com claimed to have a revolutionary way of delivering streaming content. Lossless. Faster than realtime.

Burst.com is one of the last vestiges of the P.T. Barnums that contributed to the terminal over-inflation of the Internet bubble. It's time that they go away, and I'm rooting for Microsoft as they pound the nails in the coffin....>
(published October 31st, 2002)
Microsoft Settles Burst.com Lawsuit
The $60 million settlement fee is lower than many had expected, and the agreement may make it difficult for Burst to pursue future licenses.
Microsoft responds to Cringely article
Email from Richard W. Lappenbusch, Director of Strategic Planning, Windows Client, Microsoft Corporation to Dave Farber

Dave - you know I let most of the Microsoft bashing that goes on pass by but this one was just too much -- and way off base. I felt compelled to respond to it because a few others were starting to take it seriously....>
QuickTime Streaming: Your media in real time
Apple Computer's description of QuickTime streaming that covers: QuickTime Streaming Server, QuickTime Player, Streaming Types, Multicast streams, Skip Protection, Instant-On and more....>
Apple Patent 6,996,624: Reliable real-time transport protocol
Reliability is added to RTP by having a client acknowledge to the server each of the RTP packets received by the client, and retransmitting from the server to the client any of the packets that remain unacknowledged subsequent to expiration of a predetermined time duration subsequent to the timestamp....> (February 7, 2006)

Burst.Com Players Scorecard 

The Who's Who of the Burst.Com Story

Here are people that play or played a role in the Burst story. Some are part of the company, some are legal counsel, some are interested technologists and some are investors.
Richard Lang
A leader, inventor, and entrepreneur, RICHARD LANG is the co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Instant Video Technologies and the innovator behind Faster-Than-Real-Time(TM) video delivery. Richard founded the company in 1988 with his partner Lisa Walters, ....
First Bill, Now Steve
This is the cover story in IP Law & Business magazine for April 2006 and it details the trials and tribulations of the Burst.Com story. Free registration at the site is necessary in order to read the article but the hassle of registering is worth the time because the article is of very good quality.

...Cringely thinks that Burst will not only crush Apple in court, but will "eventually license the world." Cringely explains: "I spoke to Apple and Real and found that neither would deny in private that they were using Burst IP, but both were confident in Microsoft's ability to crush little companies through litigation. Only this was a different kind of little company--one that had a burn rate low enough to outlast even Microsoft, a contingency law firm with very deep pockets from past successes, and really a heck of a case."...
Photo: Richard Lang and Lisa Walters Celebrate MSFT Settlement
Burst.com co-founders Lisa Walters and Richard Lang celebrate their $60 million settlement with Microsoft....> (March 2, 2005)
Geek Wars
Paradigm Lost, Paradigm Found

Santa Rosa streaming media company Burst.com battles the Microsoft octopus and comes out on top....> (March 16, 2005)
Robert X. Cringely
For eight years from 1987-95, Robert X. Cringely wrote the Notes From the Field column in InfoWorld, a weekly computer trade newspaper. He is also the author of the best-selling book Accidental Empires: How the Boys of Silicon Valley Make Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition, and Still Can't Get a Date....

Best of Cringely 

A look back at what Robert X. Cringely has written about Burst.Com and streaming technology since 1997

Cringely Email To BRST Yahoo Message Board Poster
A BRST Yahoo Message Board poster shared an email he says was from Robert X. Cringely and there were some questions about its authenticity. Cringely says in the email ...."Based on industry standards, Burst is due about 2.5 percent of Apple's gross income from QuickTime, iTunes, and the iPod. Add it all up and that's somewhere in the range of $200-250 million SO FAR"...>
(posted 4/06/06)
Win Some, Lose Some: Bob's Prediction Average Was Down for 2005, but 2006 Is Looking Better Thanks to Apple and Burst
Apple will lose and Burst will win, and Apple won't be able to afford to wait for the courts to decide anything, since time is critical in staking out Internet video turf. I predict that Apple will eventually take a license from Burst, that is UNLESS SOME OTHER COMPANY (Google? Real? Yahoo?) doesn't snatch up Burst first....>
(published January 12, 2006
Betting a Billion: Bob's Predictions for 2005
Carrying over from last year, I predict that Burst.com will beat Microsoft in their current lawsuit....>
(published January 7, 2005)
Stupid Microsoft Tricks: Why the Richest Company on Earth Feels it Needs to Cheat
You see, Microsoft did not come through the hearing very well as whole new levels of anti-competitive behavior were claimed by Burst AND ACKNOWLEDGED BY MICROSOFT -- levels that will likely haunt Redmond in many legal cases to come....>
(published August 28, 2003)
Stream on: How Microsoft, on the Brink of Defeat, Could Still Win the Streaming Video War
Burst says Microsoft stole its patented technology for creating instant-on streaming and improving streaming bandwidth utilization by an average of 30 percent by sending some data down the pipe before it is actually needed, thus keeping the pipe 100 percent full all the time....>
(published August 21, 2003)
Is a Little Broadband Enough? Covad Seems to Think So. Also, Why Microsoft Keeps Getting Sued
Did you notice this week that Burst.com sued Microsoft? The story caused so little commotion I feel compelled to comment. Apparently, we are so jaded now that another lawsuit against Microsoft doesn't mean much....>
(published June 20, 2002)
Don't Touch That Dial: How the Commercial Television Networks Plan to Use the Internet to Destroy Local TV
See, it's the Internet that's the bottleneck in distributing quality video. Sending "I Love Lucy" over the average 15 hops between any one spot on the Net and any other ensures enough packet loss and jitter that "Lucy" would have some real 'splaining to do. That's why Internet video looks so bad....>
(published March 23, 2000)
You Can't Get There From Here
There is a general misunderstanding about the state of the Internet, how it really functions and what is really possible to do with it. This all has to do with connections, bandwidth, and network management. Let's start by defining some terms....>
(published May 20, 1999)
Robert X. Cringely in Wikipedia
Robert X. Cringely is the pen name of both technology journalist Mark Stephens and a string of writers for a column in InfoWorld, the weekly computer trade newspaper published by IDG.

Burst.Com Patents and Other Patents 

On File At The US Patent Office

Here are links to the Burst.Com US Patents and other patents that cite Burst.Com patents. (Warning: Heavy Sledding ahead so tighten your seatbelt before you start this journey.)
US Patent # 4963995 (October 16, 1990)
Audio/video transceiver apparatus including compression means
US Patent # 5057932 (October 15, 1991)
Audio/video transceiver apparatus including compression means, random access storage means, and microwave transceiver means
US Patent # 5164839 (November 17, 1992)
Method for handling audio/video source information
US Patent # 5262875 (November 16, 1993)
Audio/video file server including decompression/playback means
US Patent # 5440334 (May 8, 1995)
Broadcast video burst transmission cyclic distribution apparatus and method
US Patent # 5710970 (January 20, 1998)
Broadcast video burst transmission cyclic distribution method
US Patent # 5963202 (October 5, 1999)
System and method for distributing and managing digital video information in a video distribution network
US Patent # 5978567 (November 2, 1999)
System for distribution of interactive multimedia and linear programs by enabling program webs which include control scripts to define presentation by client transceiver
US Patent # 5995705 (November 30, 1999)
Burst transmission apparatus and method for audio/video information
US Patent # 6850965 (February 1, 2005)
Method for connection acceptance and rapid determination of optimal multi-media content delivery over network

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Other Non-Burst.Com Patents That Cite Burst.Com Patents As Prior Art
US Patent # 6996624 (February 7, 2006 - Apple Computer)
Reliable real-time transport protocol
US Patent # 6985932 (January 10, 2006 - RealNetworks)
Multimedia communications system and method for providing audio on demand to subscribers

RealNetworks Bets on Streaming Patent

Accidental Empires: How the Boys of Silicon Valley Make Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition, and Still Can't Get a Date 

Cringely On Steve Jobs

"Here's a secret to getting along with Steve Jobs: when he screams at you, scream back. Take no guff from him, and if he's the one who is full of s- -t, tell him, preferably in front of a large group of amazed underlings. This technique works because it gets Jobs's attention and fits in with his underlying belief that he probably is wrong but that the world just hasn't figured that out yet. Make it clear to him that you, at least, know the truth." (Accidental Empires, page 197)
The Transformation Age: Surviving a Technology Revolution with Robert X. Cringely

The Transformation Age: Surviving a Technology Revolution with Robert X. Cringely

by: Frank Batavick

Amazon Price: (as of 12/01/2009) Buy Now

WIRED - December, 1998 (Magazine. Computers. Bill Gates. Microsoft. Internet Muder. Robert X. Cringely)

WIRED - December, 1998 (Magazine. Computers. Bill Gates. Microsoft. Internet Muder. Robert X. Cringely)

Amazon Price: (as of 12/01/2009) Buy Now

Accidental Empires : How the Boys of Silicon Valley Make Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition, and Still Can't Get a Date [In Japanese Language]

Accidental Empires : How the Boys of Silicon Valley Make Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition, and Still Can't Get a Date [In Japanese Language]

by: Robert X. Cringely

Amazon Price: (as of 12/01/2009) Buy Now

Triumph of the Nerds 

Triumph of the Nerds

Triumph of the Nerds

It happened more or less by accident; the people who made it happen were amateurs; and for the most part they still are. From his own Silicon Valley garage, author Bob Cringley puts PC bigshots and nerds on the spot, and tells their incredible true stories.

Amazon Price: $46.99 (as of 12/01/2009) Buy Now

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Old News 

It May Be Old But It Is An Important Part of The Burst.Com Story

Here is where you will find links to news about the Burst.Com story which have been moved from the Recent News module.

Apple files lawsuit against Burst.com to protect its content
Apple wants a declaratory judgment that its products do not infringe on patents held by Burst.com. Burst.com settled a similar dispute with Microsoft last year for $60 million, giving Microsoft license to Burst's audio and video distribution technology....>
(published February 14, 2006)

by burstingsquidoo

I am an investor in Burst.Com and I have followed the "bursting" technology and the company for more than 7 years. (more)

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