Cingular Wireless may be :) about its pending patent, but the mobile communications company has technologists hopping >:-(.

On March 28, 2005, Cingular filed a patent covering the concept of using emoticons, the ASCII-based symbols used by online chatters to express emotions, for use on mobile devices. Specifically, the patent allows users to select from an array of custom, graphical emoticons to transmit via wireless devices

News of the pending patent surfaced on January 26. Bloggers across cyberspace wasted no time in voicing their ire about the company's application. Many cited Microsoft's January 2004 attempt to patent custom emoticons and the subsequent hoopla it created in the IT industry. Technologists objected to Microsoft's patent on the grounds that emoticons represent speech on the Internet and therefore cannot be patented. That patent is still pending.

Cingular Wireless may be :) about its pending patent, but the mobile communications company has technologists hopping >:-(.

On March 28, 2005, Cingular filed a patent covering the concept of using emoticons, the ASCII-based symbols used by online chatters to express emotions, for use on mobile devices. Specifically, the patent allows users to select from an array of custom, graphical emoticons to transmit via wireless devices

News of the pending patent surfaced on January 26. Bloggers across cyberspace wasted no time in voicing their ire about the company's application. Many cited Microsoft's January 2004 attempt to patent custom emoticons and the subsequent hoopla it created in the IT industry. Technologists objected to Microsoft's patent on the grounds that emoticons represent speech on the Internet and therefore cannot be patented. That patent is still pending.