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Browser Cookie Patent

resistant writes "Here's more patent madness, this time on cookies used in browsers. (By now, even Forbes has a commendable attitude about this rampant greed)." This is actually a pretty interesting article for folks not so familiar with why patents are such a big deal in this day and age.

19 of 238 comments (clear)

  1. First Post! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    And I patent it!

  2. Prior Art by birdman666 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I think Nabisco has prior art on this one.

    --

    Nothing from nowhere I'm no one at all
  3. patent the "patent madness" by stonebeat.org · · Score: 5, Funny

    whoever does it, will make lot of money.

  4. I didn't know you could patent cookies by Linux-based-robots · · Score: 5, Funny

    What next? Pies, pasteries, fudge brownies? Where will this madness stop?

  5. My next patten by Flak · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm going to patten the act of sex. I will be rich beyond all dreams. I will only collect on the act of sex at the birth of a child, but I will charge retroactivlly for all "pratice acts"

    1. Re:My next patten by user32.ExitWindowsEx · · Score: 5, Funny

      Hmmm...wouldn't the USPTO suddenly become the world's largest pr0n repository as millions of people submit 'prior art' ?

      --
      "Evil will always triumph because good is dumb." -- Dark Helmet
    2. Re:My next patten by FyRE666 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yeah, but you won't make much money from the /. crowd ;-)

    3. Re:My next patten by dargaud · · Score: 4, Funny

      Well, seriously, I'd like to meet the guy who invented sex and see what he's working on now...

      --
      Non-Linux Penguins ?
    4. Re:My next patten by Dog+and+Pony · · Score: 4, Funny

      That would depend on your definition of "Practice act". For one, does it take two to practice?

      Given the one-handed surfing some of these guys do, even a few actual children conceived should bring in a nice sum. :)

  6. Re:Why stop at patenting cookies? by B3ryllium · · Score: 5, Funny

    Better idea: Patent spam. :)

  7. Marvin? by Vinnie_333 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I claim this patent in the name of MARS!

    --

    "We shall party like the Greeks of old! You know the ones I mean." - HedonismBot
  8. And in further news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sesame Street's Cookie Monster was unavailable for comment.

  9. what about games? by Kolenkow · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why didn't ID software patent the 1st person shooter? It would've saved humanity from loads of crappy doom-clones.

    --
    Hofstadter's Law: It always takes longer than you expect, even if you take into account Hofstadter's Law
  10. OMFG by Chordonblue · · Score: 4, Funny

    You know, I don't think Keebler's and Nabisco should be forced into licensing cookie technology. There's gotta be some prior art here somewhere!

    --
    "...Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam..."
  11. goon off it all by mlush · · Score: 5, Funny

    I recall a Goon Show where the word 'Help' was copyrighted by Grytpype-Thynne who made a killing by pushing Moriarty (?) into the water and charging him royalties every time he Help!

    Nothing changes :-(

  12. Re:Why stop at patenting cookies? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
    People who shopped for helicopters also shopped for:
    • Seat belts
    • Parachutes
    • Life vests
    • Airbags
    • First Aid kits
    • Survival Rations
    • Mac OS X 10.2 "Jaguar" (Save 5%! Free shipping!)
  13. Better would be by arvindn · · Score: 4, Funny

    If someone patented popups, and enforced it, then I'll be cheering :)

  14. Prior Art by Ted_Green · · Score: 5, Funny
  15. bring back patent models by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    it used to be that you had to present a working model of an invention to the PTO before being granted a patent. This had the effect of both crystalizing the definition of the claims and restricting these to those specifically demonstrated w/ the implementation. Patent drawings have a similar effect though they allow for a more liberal interpretation of the implementation.

    IF these hucksters had to actually show the PTO examiner the implementation of their claims alot of these patents would be either thrown out for obviousness or prior art , or forced to drastically restrict their claims.

    examiner : this looks like a hyperlink ?!?
    huckster : no it's a user joy eliciting interaction actuator.
    examiner : wha ?
    huckster : our claim is on all interactions that make people happy , or result in greater happiness.
    examiner : so if I click this link and it leads to a picture of a cute baby and that makes my smile , you want to own that interaction ?
    huckster : right , that baby would be infinging on our patent.
    examiner : ok then here's your patent for hyperlinking to pictures of smiling babies that make me happy. Good Day