A little light on Neomedia vs Abaxia is shed

HAVING PUBLISHED the rumour that French software house, Abaxia, was thinking of suing arch rival, Neomedia Technologies, over bar code technology, the INQ has been deluged with requests for more information.

Sadly, we haven't been able to get either side to comment as yet. But there is some light that we can shed on the matter.

There are definitely moves ahead to create a global standard for mobile bar-coding.

As Neomedia recently stated,"We are also making great strides to create a global standard for the wireless Web and have scheduled a high-level meeting in London this month [February] with some of the world's leading technology firms to begin to define and document this important standards-based initiative."

It also said, "We envision a future in which consumers routinely "qode it" when they want more information on a product or service."

The company obviously wants to establish its own brand - Qode- as the standard name for this kind of behaviour. Just as photocopying was once called 'Xeroxing'.

The fly in the ointment is that Abaxia and its existing customerbase, which includes several leading mobile operators, don't reckon that Neomedia can actually patent the technology in Europe.

In Europe you can't patent something which people have been doing for ages, just because you're the first to the patent office with an application form.

So what the INQ suspects Abaxia's lawyers are doing is objecting to any kind of European patent being awarded to Neomedia.

Significantly Neomedia has decided that this bar-coding thingey is now its core business and has admitted that, "All other business units (Micro Paint Repair, 12Snap, and Telecom Services) are either in the process of being sold, or will be sold in the most profitable, timely and viable manner possible.". µ