Geoff Goodfellow
Encyclopedia
Geoff Goodfellow is associated with early wireless email ventures. In 1982 he posted a message titled "Electronic Mail for People on the Move" in an arpanet
mailing list called Telecom Digest. In the early 1990s Goodfellow attempted to commercialize this concept in a product called RadioMail. In 1992, Radiomail entered into a partnership with Research in Motion
, RAM Mobile Data
, and Ericsson
. Goodfellow left the company in 1996. Research in Motion went on to develop the BlackBerry
wireless computing device, based partly on Goodfellow's ideas.
Goodfellow, a contributor to the Jargon File
and participant in the early days of the Silicon Valley
computer culture, did not believe in patenting his idea. He told The New York Times
, "You don't patent the obvious...The way you compete is to build something that is faster, better, cheaper. You don't lock your ideas up in a patent and rest on your laurels." ( See NY Times, "In Silicon Valley, a Man Without a Patent", by John Markoff, April 16, 2006)
The inventor, Thomas J. Campana Jr.
, was granted several patents covering his inventions related to the practical implementation of wireless e-mail. In 2006, after a protracted legal battle, (See NTP Inc.
) Research in Motion had to pay $US 615 million to obtain rights to these patents.
In 2006 Goodfellow began researching the cause, nature and origin of the critical state of disharmony on our planet.
ARPANET
The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network , was the world's first operational packet switching network and the core network of a set that came to compose the global Internet...
mailing list called Telecom Digest. In the early 1990s Goodfellow attempted to commercialize this concept in a product called RadioMail. In 1992, Radiomail entered into a partnership with Research in Motion
Research In Motion
Research In Motion Limited or RIM is a Canadian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada that designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market...
, RAM Mobile Data
RAM Mobile Data
RAM Mobile Data was originally founded by RAM Broadcasting Corporation as American Mobile Data Communications, Inc. in 1988. The name of the company was changed to RAM Mobile Data in 1989. RAM Mobile Data was the U.S...
, and Ericsson
Ericsson
Ericsson , one of Sweden's largest companies, is a provider of telecommunication and data communication systems, and related services, covering a range of technologies, including especially mobile networks...
. Goodfellow left the company in 1996. Research in Motion went on to develop the BlackBerry
BlackBerry
BlackBerry is a line of mobile email and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion since 1999.BlackBerry devices are smartphones, designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, and much more...
wireless computing device, based partly on Goodfellow's ideas.
Goodfellow, a contributor to the Jargon File
Jargon File
The Jargon File is a glossary of computer programmer slang. The original Jargon File was a collection of terms from technical cultures such as the MIT AI Lab, the Stanford AI Lab and others of the old ARPANET AI/LISP/PDP-10 communities, including Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Carnegie Mellon...
and participant in the early days of the Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
computer culture, did not believe in patenting his idea. He told The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, "You don't patent the obvious...The way you compete is to build something that is faster, better, cheaper. You don't lock your ideas up in a patent and rest on your laurels." ( See NY Times, "In Silicon Valley, a Man Without a Patent", by John Markoff, April 16, 2006)
The inventor, Thomas J. Campana Jr.
Thomas J. Campana Jr.
Thomas J. Campana, Jr. was an inventor. He was awarded about 50 US patents in his 30 year career.His most significant contributions were in the field of push email. He invented and patented a number of new technologies that were later incorporated into Research in Motion's BlackBerry mobile...
, was granted several patents covering his inventions related to the practical implementation of wireless e-mail. In 2006, after a protracted legal battle, (See NTP Inc.
NTP Inc.
NTP, Inc. is a Virginia-based patent holding company founded in 1992 by the late inventor Thomas J. Campana Jr. and Donald E. Stout. The company's primary asset is a portfolio of 50 US patents and additional pending US and international patent applications. These patents and patent applications...
) Research in Motion had to pay $US 615 million to obtain rights to these patents.
In 2006 Goodfellow began researching the cause, nature and origin of the critical state of disharmony on our planet.
External links
- Discussion of the arpanet issue on the blog Techdirt
- Wallstreet Journal Law Blog http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2006/04/17/the-rimntp-plot-thickens-meet-mr-goodfellow/trackback/ "Goodfellow couldn’t come up with much documentation on his initial invention"