the US patent system is so ridiculously broken

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hans007

Lifer
Feb 1, 2000
20,212
18
81
i dunno i was reading about the new att mpeg4 lawsuit on slashdot, not to mention the RIM/NTP mess for super vague patents.

then talking to friends about all the ridiculous patents the copmanies we work for have made just to protect themselves usually i.e. "sending packages over a local network to a client" is one of my friends companies had filed and gotten approved.


and then

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Pars...68227.WKU.&OS=PN/6368227&RS=PN/6368227

what the hell is that. who even reviews these things? somehow our federal tax dollars are going to a monkey with a pencil checking "approved" on stuff like that.

seriously , i am not sure if you all agree, but america is in a mess with IP. and we have an 800 billion dollar trade deficit. we are giving up control of our money markets to other countries and our only way of innovating is getting destroyed by our own patent system.

i am amazed, i am afraid if i ever came up with an idea for a startup it would not be worth bothering.
 
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Rastus

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 1999
4,704
3
0
The internet has changed everything, making most of our copyright and patent laws so obsolete they are practically useless.
 
HumblePie

HumblePie

Lifer
Oct 30, 2000
14,665
440
126
I know... which is why I patented masterbation.

Seriously, all you jerks off's owe me royalties everytime you squirt one out.
 
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Sqube

Diamond Member
Dec 23, 2004
3,078
1
0
I've seen a "guitar-like instrument" patent in the works before, back when I worked at a law firm that specialized in patent work.

We laughed for days over that one.
 
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hans007

Lifer
Feb 1, 2000
20,212
18
81
i think we discussed patenting somethin gat the software company i work for when we were writing qa automation libraries. we had to click on webpages in a UI, and someone wrote a hash that would turn the name of the page with other info about it, into an 8 bit hexnumber.

someone called that "window fingerprints" and decided maybe we could patent it. i dont think we went ahead with that but its still awful just that the idea even came about.
 
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JasonK

Senior member
Jan 24, 2000
706
0
0
Speaking of patents, anyone else get one of those Microsoft letters, stating that you must patch your MS office 2003 due to their stupidness of infriging on a patent of another software product?
 
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Bartolo

Member
Feb 6, 2006
168
0
0
Originally posted by: JasonK
Speaking of patents, anyone else get one of those Microsoft letters, stating that you must patch your MS office 2003 due to their stupidness of infriging on a patent of another software product?
Click to expand...

Ya, i would but mines an illegal copy, that they odnt no about

-----------------------------------------------------------
Piracy is frowned upon here.

Take 2 weeks to figure out how to obtain a valid license.

Piracy Mod
 
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sohcrates

Diamond Member
Sep 19, 2000
7,949
0
0
unfortunately, there are so many patent lawsuits going around that companies have no choice but to get stupid patents as a "defense" mechanism. that's basically what IBM does.

there's a reason other countries don't recognize "business methods" as statutory subject matter....however the U.S. does
 
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Peetoeng

Golden Member
Dec 21, 2000
1,866
0
0

Perhaps, the Patent Office thinks it is in the same field as Godaddy.com.
:Q

Vague patent squatter is the new sitename squatter.
 
mugs

mugs

Lifer
Apr 29, 2003
48,920
46
91
Originally posted by: Rastus
The internet has changed everything, making most of our copyright and patent laws so obsolete they are practically useless.
Click to expand...

:confused: The Internet has made our copyright laws so obsolete they are practically useless... if anything the Internet has made our copyright laws more important than ever because it's so easy to copy stuff now.
 
H

hans007

Lifer
Feb 1, 2000
20,212
18
81
Originally posted by: mugs
Originally posted by: Rastus
The internet has changed everything, making most of our copyright and patent laws so obsolete they are practically useless.
Click to expand...

:confused: The Internet has made our copyright laws so obsolete they are practically useless... if anything the Internet has made our copyright laws more important than ever because it's so easy to copy stuff now.
Click to expand...

yeah this guy is confusing copyright and patenting.


patenting say a laser beam that cures AIDs or something is certainly a legit thing. patenting swingin on a swing, or some "business practice" of say putting monitors in a lobby with ads on them, or say some software practice is just stupid. i think its only there to give government people jobs and lawyers money.
 
B

BillyBatson

Diamond Member
May 13, 2001
5,715
1
0
Originally posted by: aircooled
can I patent the "posting on a forum" process?
Click to expand...

after reading the "how to swing" patent i wouldn't doubt it
however whoever has a higher post count then you or signed up to anand forums before you could dispute your claim lol
 
Dulanic

Dulanic

Diamond Member
Oct 27, 2000
9,968
592
136
I could patent the process of getting a patent, copy someones stuff and sell it, then when they go to sue me since they had it patented, I sue them for not paying me royalties for patenting it! MUAHA
 
R

Ready

Golden Member
Jan 16, 2003
1,830
0
0
Originally posted by: HumblePie
I know... which is why I patented masterbation.

Seriously, all you jerks off's owe me royalties everytime you squirt one out.
Click to expand...

I can't afford to pay you a billion dollars, but you can have the leftover if thats ok
 
BrokenVisage

BrokenVisage

Lifer
Jan 29, 2005
24,771
14
81
Originally posted by: HumblePie
I know... which is why I patented masterbation.

Seriously, all you jerks off's owe me royalties everytime you squirt one out.
Click to expand...

Each individual sperm?? Wow, you could be rich dude! Too bad no one will pay you. :(
 
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