Are patents out of control?

[BoberFett]

We've all heard about Amazon and their patent on one click purchasing. I'm watching Silicon Spin and they're talking about the latest nasty patent, McAfees recently awarded patent on internet delivered software updates.

Read and discuss

This seems pretty all encompassing. Is downloading updates across the internet really McAfee's bright idea? Do they deserve to have control over something so basic and obvious?

Forget religion, I think lawyers are going to be the death of us all. :|

 

[frizzlefry]

I've worked on patents for 3 years now. I've seen a bunch of crazy stuff. Like you said if it was basic and obvious then it cannot and should not be allowed to be patentable.

They way I see it is many patented things are licensed to other companies for their use. This is one way for these companies to make money. Imagine the ability to charge MS for everytime someone updates their software online. That's alot of money. But there are always loopholes. I don't know the entire patent that Mcafee has but there are always loopholes. Like their patent only deals with HTML and XML for updates delivered through an internet browser. I believe MS is already around this with their updates being delivered mostly through another program.

 

[yoda291]

I don't think they will get control. If they do, I get dibs on the TV commercial patent(still open)

 

[yakko]

Am I the oly one who thought that said "Are parents out of control?"

 

[TallBill]

heh, im gonna patent online forums paired up with reviews

 

[TallBill]

<< Am I the oly one who thought that said "Are parents out of control?" >>



yes

 

[joohang]

<< I believe MS is already around this with their updates being delivered mostly through another program. >>


Yeah. Windows Update uses an ActiveX control to do it. I believe that the component searches through the user's computer (probably a log) for installed updates, downloads the selected options and installs them. Not exactly sure how McAffee works.

Any ways, I agree that patents are far out of control.

 

[GoldenBear]

<< Am I the oly one who thought that said "Are parents out of control?" >>

Am I the only one who knew you weren't going to have anything useful to say?



(feel free to point out the hypocrisy of this post)

 

[gopunk]

Am I the oly one who thought that said "Are parents out of control?"

no, i repeatedly misread that... they always did say i was a slow learner...

 

[MikeO]

<< Am I the oly one who thought that said "Are parents out of control?" >>



Nope, and I already answered "yes" to myself

 

[The Stigenator]

yup the United States patent office is nuts.. they have been known to allow patents that are generally known as common ground information.
A while back they patented the spice "turmuric", a spice used in India and only grown in India. Yet this american company patented it and its properties.. India had to fight for that patent being revoked. Now just recently a company in Texas patented "Basmati" rice, calling it a fake basmati rice that has the smell and the properties. Only thing a fake basmati cannot be better than the real stuff. Either case India is fighting it now.. they are also putting a 'law' in place that protects farmers from having their rights patented by other people.

My point here is that the US patent office has patented many thing that are common knowledge and hence needs no patenting. The amazon 1 click, was one of them, now this mcafee thing..

its absolutly ridiclulous. There was a time when patents protected rights of inventors and their inventions, now its become a matter of "corporate rights" to make money with.

 

[purplehayes]

<< Am I the oly one who thought that said "Are parents out of control?" >>



No, and this thread is a real let down after getting my hopes up for what I thought it said.

PH

 

[Asha'man]

<<

<< Am I the oly one who thought that said "Are parents out of control?" >>



yes >>



NO! I read that too

=&THORN;

 

[walkur]

In Australia some lawyer wanted to prove the quality of the patent system there...... he patented the WHEEL

 

[Phunktion]

I want cheap blue LED's dammit!! :disgust:

 

[toph99]

<< Am I the oly one who thought that said "Are parents out of control?" >>



that's what i thought too