Blackboard Inc. owns ‘basic framework for learning management systems.’
Every day, millions of students taking online college courses act in much the same way as their bricks-and-mortar counterparts. After logging on, they move from course to course and do things like submit work in virtual drop boxes and view posted grades — all from a program running on a PC.
It may seem self-evident that virtual classrooms should closely resemble real ones. But a major education software company contends it wasn’t always so obvious.
And now, in a move that has shaken up the e-learning community, Blackboard Inc. has been awarded a patent establishing its claims to some of the basic features of the software that powers online education.
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This is very similar to the battle between Blockbuster and Netflix. Just because something is moved onto the net does that make it the exclusive right of whoever moved it there first? Obviously the idea of a classroom is not copyrighted. If so every school in the land would have to pay for the right to use such a facility. But Blackboard wants a cut every time someone attempts to teach on the net. It ’s rediculous. They just bought out their major competetor and now they want to control the whole thing. Sound familiar? Can you say RIAA? This is the latest “pig” attitude of American (or maybe even world wide) corporations. I use WEB/CT to teach my classes and I like the format. I’ve seen Blackboard and it’s not so great. But now that they have bought out WEB/CT I’m wondering what will happen to my favorite program. The fact is that competition is what feeds development. Monopoly feeds stagnancy. This is a basic principle of Capitalism. I hope that Blackboard loses this case. If not we–as educators and students–will lose our freedom of choice and yet another obsticle will be placed in the path of liberal and effective education.
The patent system needs a good overhall its as simple as that it will never happen however too many big players would loose money.
Whoops! I misspelled ridiculous and obstacle. Is that any way for a teacher to post a comment?