Image via Wikipedia

Once again Singapore is associated with infamy in a most peculiar way. I opened the papers this morning to see a very curious report titled “Patent breach by ‘virtually all websites’? Pay up, firm demands” by Chua Hian Hou. A Singapore firm has threatened to sue websites that use pictures or graphics to link to another page, and it claims that it owns the patent for such a ‘technology’ used by millions of sites around the world.

They have even taken on the likes of Microsoft of Google; the reports adds that such a battle could potentially upend the entire Internet as we know. Incredible. Firms and individuals have been receiving invoices since last week. Managing director of VueStar, Paul Smith, said if sites want to continue the usage of images in their sites they will have to be prepared to pay VueStar between “$200″ and “millions” in licensing fees annually. This move has prompted some anxiousness and unhappiness in online communities.

I am sure there is more to this than meets the eye. What do you think?

Update (27 May): ZDnet posts an article here. Cnet Blog report here.

Filed under: General