Microsoft Researching Patent Law with New Experts

wikinerd writes "According to The Register, Microsoft seeks to hire new patent experts. In their words, patent experience itself "is helpful but not mandatory" and advance knowledge of patent law is not required. The applicants need only be Computer Science or Electrical Engineering PhD holders, without any qualification in law. They will be involved in prior art search, patentability research and technical analysis. The article outlines some of the most controversial MS patents, such as online bill payment."

Comments

... PhD?

[tomstdenis]

Must be a PhD? Oh... because we know that's gonna be a sign of an intelligent person... not like the previous "Doctors" who have basically put us in the mess we are currently.

I so hate degrees being toted as the be-all of the fucking world. From what I've heard talking with various schools my LibTomMath project [and book] would qualify as a Masters level thesis undertaking. Yet I wrote the bulk of it in a couple of months FOR FUN!!!

Not trying to put down the "educated" just saying that you can get by through school without a super breadth knowledge of the field. For example, how many wavelet experts know how to exponentiate in finite fields? You think many cryptographers know how to best use wavelets? etc, etc, etc.

So fucking stop with the "must be degree'ed" and just say "must have proven track record of 'getting shit done'." /rant

Tom