Patents and the tech industry

[Yellow]

I'm branching this off of something over in the Random Chatter forum, because I feel like I need a soapbox.

I'm no patent lawyer, but this just seems too general to be considerable as novel and non-obvious. With the description "Electronic Device" and claim "We claim the ornamental design for an electronic device, substantially as shown and described." If you look at the drawings, they're not too substantial, just a rectangular parallelepiped with rounded corners and one or two surface lines.

The state of patents in the tech industry is intensely frustrating to me. Patents on rounded rectangles, patents on "click here to upgrade" buttons, patents on delivering "educational content" over a network... the non-obvious clause has basically been entirely discarded over the last 20 years. And what's worse; for most of these patents, there are hundreds or thousands of other nearly identical patents.

The fact is, as a software developer, any new software I write is almost certainly covered by an existing patent. And there are firms out there that do nothing but buy up these bogus patents and then sue people for violating them. I'm frankly scared to release new iPhone apps, because it increases the chance I'll get sued for patent infringement.

Most of you probably don't care about this. But if you're interested, NPR recently did a really good piece on the mess we're in. It's called When Patents Attack, and it's dead on.

[Yellow]

Another example from the NPR article: This patent covers an idea called a "contextualizer", and can apparently be used to sue anyone who has a website where, when you scroll your mouse over certain sections, pop-up boxes appear.

[Dragon Lady]

Y'know, I read the title of this thread and thought, "Oh, I should tell Yellow to check the Board board. Patents are his pet peeve." Looks like I don't need to.

[Katya]

Y'know, I read the title of this thread and thought, "Oh, I should tell Yellow to check the Board board. Patents are his pet peeve." Looks like I don't need to.

I started reading Yellow's first post and thought, "Oh, I should post the link to that really good story NPR did about software patents." He's one step ahead of both of us! *shakes fist*

[Dragon Lady]

Y'know, I read the title of this thread and thought, "Oh, I should tell Yellow to check the Board board. Patents are his pet peeve." Looks like I don't need to.

I started reading Yellow's first post and thought, "Oh, I should post the link to that really good story NPR did about software patents." He's one step ahead of both of us! *shakes fist*

I'm taking it that your power lived through the hurricane? At least so far? Or has it just not reached you yet?

[Digit]

Steve Jobs is also one of the 'inventors' on a patent for glass stairs. It's stairs, made of glass! Not a patent for a process for making stronger glass or anything deep like that. If you've got a setup in your establishment in which people walk on increasingly elevated slabs of silicon dioxide supported by vertical sheets thereof, you just might be an infringer.

On the funny side, google 'combover patent.' Don't know how they planned to profit or stop infringers on that one.

[Katya]

Y'know, I read the title of this thread and thought, "Oh, I should tell Yellow to check the Board board. Patents are his pet peeve." Looks like I don't need to.

I started reading Yellow's first post and thought, "Oh, I should post the link to that really good story NPR did about software patents." He's one step ahead of both of us! *shakes fist*

I'm taking it that your power lived through the hurricane? At least so far? Or has it just not reached you yet?

Hasn't reached us yet. We'll be closest to the eye at around midnight tonight, it appears.

[Rifka]

Steve Jobs is also one of the 'inventors' on a patent for glass stairs. It's stairs, made of glass! Not a patent for a process for making stronger glass or anything deep like that. If you've got a setup in your establishment in which people walk on increasingly elevated slabs of silicon dioxide supported by vertical sheets thereof, you just might be an infringer.

On the funny side, google 'combover patent.' Don't know how they planned to profit or stop infringers on that one.

I've heard of the glass stairs. That had to have been invented by a guy. Seriously, didn't anyone think what problems might ensue if a lady takes those stairs wearing a dress?

[Imogen]

Steve Jobs is also one of the 'inventors' on a patent for glass stairs. It's stairs, made of glass! Not a patent for a process for making stronger glass or anything deep like that. If you've got a setup in your establishment in which people walk on increasingly elevated slabs of silicon dioxide supported by vertical sheets thereof, you just might be an infringer.

On the funny side, google 'combover patent.' Don't know how they planned to profit or stop infringers on that one.

I've heard of the glass stairs. That had to have been invented by a guy. Seriously, didn't anyone think what problems might ensue if a lady takes those stairs wearing a dress?

Florenz Ziegfeld did think of that, and he had a glass floor in the upper level of the New Amsterdam theatre for just that reason.