Colleges facing streaming patent demands

Associated Press has a story on Acacia Research, the company that says it has a patent on on-demand streaming media technology, approaching colleges for licenses. The Chronicle of Higher Education has been covering the approach to schools for a while.

A lot of companies, from Disney on down, have been settling with Acacia. The company started with online porn sites, but now is seeking licenses from virtually all Web streaming media companies, cable and satellite TV networks, and businesses that use intranet video. Comcast has said it is fighting Acacia's patent claims, and that might be where the issue finally gets tested.