An article published in last Sunday's Chicago Tribune suggests that the
University of Illinois has applied for several patents on technology relating
to MOSAIC. If this is true, then they appear to be getting ready for a
Unisys/Compuserve-style "hook them then cook them" move against the Internet
community.
Here's an excerpt from the article:
>TITLE: "Microsoft deal lights up Naperville software innovator"
>
>By Ronald E. Yates
>Tribune Staff Writer
>Printed 1/22/95
>
>...Microsoft was eager for the Spyglass deal because the young
>company controls the patents to Mosaic, the original software that
>converts the complexities of the Internet into a mouse-controlled
>graphical form. Mosaic makes the entire Internet look much like
>what computer users encounter on their desktops with Microsoft
>Windows or the Apple Macintosh...
This may have just been a factual error on the part of the Tribune writer,
but the potential seriousness of what it suggests must not be ignored.