Author of Archie Challenges Alta Vista Patents
Patents
1/30/2001; 4:27:00 PM The author of Archie, a search engine for the Gopher system which pre-dated the web, challenges the AltaVista patents by claiming he already did what they were patenting.  I'm linking to the Slashdot story because there are some interesting comments in there, pointing out that it may not even matter if he has prior art claims. Patents are nasty little things.