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Washington Mutual Patents the Bank Branch

ewhac writes "Okay, so it's not a bank branch per se, but a particular kind of bank branch -- one that has play areas for kids, serves coffee and popcorn, and has kiosks instead of teller windows. Washington Mutual has dubbed this branch design, "Occasio" (a generic Latin word meaning, "favorable opportunity," and which has probably been trademarked). The San Francisco Chronicle reports that it may be the first time the USPTO has awarded a patent for the design of a retail store/presence."

4 of 291 comments (clear)

  1. FP fools by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    FP stupid nigger jews.

  2. Re:what about apple? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Because even apple didn't have the sheer audacity to try it? Crazy, is what it is. Patents are essentially a "right" to stop people doing stuff they want to. Patents are creeping fascism - where previously anyone could lay out their bank the way they wanted, now they need to beg permission from the government-corporate complex (Fascism is defined by the merging of state and corporate power).

  3. Re:Rerun by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    The USA counts intellectual "property" as part of its GDP! Pretty absurd. Strip away I"P" and the USA has very little economic productivity, just a whole lot of guns. The USA is basically a pack of red ants, trying to enslave the world through I"P" and military might. Now you can't even rearrange a room without US government-corporate permission... that's pure fascism, right there.

  4. Re:Rerun by robogun · · Score: 0, Troll

    What is made in the United States anymore? Nothing. Except intellectual property (the type to block competition, rather than coming up with innovative ideas) and lawyers. Unless you live in China, do you, or anyone you know, make anything for a living. Half the people around here (Calif.) get their livings by re-re-financing their houses, which actually go up in value $1,000 a day. The rest push around paper and IM each other in offices all day in "service" livelihoods.
    And they all think this "productivity" will continue forever.