Any sensible Patent lawyer will make sure of that. But lets forget all that. Instead lets suppose BT is legally right, chooses to pursue this claim and will succeed and win the right to patent hyperlinks. Here is a company whose core competency is telecommunications, interoperability and communications. BT is an infrastructure provider, whose continued success is predicated on the continued growth of the internet.
Hyperlinks are a key part of the reason why the web has grown exponentially.
Hypertext links, for example, make it possible to bounce readers directly to a comment or glossary of terms. And readers who don't need the info don't need to click on it. It makes the web experience appropriate and rewarding for every user, whatever their level of knowledge. That is why we all like it. When you've read this piece you may choose to find out more about this story by clicking on one of the 'Read more' links at the top right hand side of the screen.