Kim Dotcom claims to own the patent for two-step verification, password technology used by Google and Twitter, reports The Guardian.
Two-step verification is a means of logging in to a site with a one-time-use password sent to your mobile device every time you access the service. For someone to access an account, he must know the standard password and have the mobile device corresponding to the login.
Dotcom apparently filed the patent in 1998 under the name "Kim Schmitz" but he may not have been first – The Guardian suggests that other patents by Ericsson and Nokia from 1994 beat Dotcom to the punch.
If this is true, the earlier filing would be honored and Dotcom would have no claim to the technology.
While this is yet to be determined, Dotcom says he'll continue to let Google and Twitter use the technology for free and is aggressively seeking donations for his legal defense.
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