Will BT own the internet by next Tuesday?

NEWS BT is taking its controversial hyperlinks patent suit to court next week. The telco claims it owns the patent for the ubiquitous web feature according to a 1976 filing, which expires in five years time. The telco could demand licence fees for the use of the technology should it be successful. BT will present its case at a one-day hearing in a federal court in White Plains, New York on Monday. The defendant in the case, ISP Prodigy, will also be at the hearing. BT filed its lawsuit in June 2000 and charged the company with patent infringement. Lawyers were surprised when the news was first announced and said it was unlikely that the telco would prove successful.