日前東德州地方法院陪審團判定Google使用的Linux核心技術侵害美國專利第5,893,120號（Methods and apparatus for information storage and retrieval using a hashing technique with external chaining and on-the-fly removal of expired data", filed in 1997 and granted in 1999），並判賠500萬美金給專利權人Bedrock，被告計有Google, Yahoo, MySpace, PayPal, Amazon, Match.com, AOL, CME Group, Softlayer, Citiware
主張侵權的專利範圍為一種資訊儲存與取得系統，其中包括：
一提供給電腦記憶體存取的連結清單（linked list），清單中包括有一些已經過期的連結（Linux系統的檔案系統確實是利用link(inode)將邏輯與實體檔案連結起來，可參考http://linux.vbird.org/linux_basic/0230filesystem.php#harddisk-inode）；
一使用關鍵字存取上述清單的記錄尋找手段（這如一般找檔案的工具，如which, whereis...）；
尋找的同時將包括從清單中識別與移除已經過期的記錄。
[原Claim 1]
1. An information storage and retrieval system, the system comprising:
a linked list to store and provide access to records stored in a memory of the system, at least some of the records automatically expiring,
a record search means utilizing a search key to access the linked list,
the record search means including a means for identifying and removing at least some of the expired ones of the records from the linked list when the linked list is accessed, and
means, utilizing the record search means, for accessing the linked list and, at the same time, removing at least some of the expired ones of the records in the linked list.
這樣的權利範圍絕對會讓開放原始碼社群跳腳，因為這在一般Linux系統中為常用手段，侵害的範圍恐怕不只Google而已，答辯的方式自然是使用相關先前技術主張專利權無效
Ron
資料參考：http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/Google-loses-Linux-patent-suit-1232133.html
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