Slashdot Mirror
USPTO Issues Provisional Storyline Patent
cheesedog writes "The USPTO will issue the first storyline patent in history today, with two others following in the next few months. Right to Create points out that this was anticipated several months ago in a story by Richard Stallman published in the The Guardian, UK. With the publication of this not-yet-granted patent, its author can begin requiring licensing fees for anyone whose activities might fall within its claims, including book authors, movie studies, television studios and broadcasters, etc. The claims appear to cover the literary elements of a story involving an ambitious high school student who applies for entrance to MIT and prays to remain sleeping until the acceptance letter comes, which doesn't happen for another 30 years."
It's fairly traditional in the US to simply ignore the USPTO (of course...this may result in law suits...but properly argued that can be to your benefit, if you're willing to spend the cash). Most of the time the courts have had no problems with that, even helping by throwing out bogus patents pretty much any time one is brought to the attention of the courts. The courts have repeatedly said that only the truely important, innovative, and groundbreaking new inventions are meant to be patented in the first place, and that the people in the patent office have had no business issueing most of the patents they have in fact issued. The US courts have been saying, for decades, that the US patent system is broken... The Chief Executive (as the patent office is Executive Branch) needs to seriously clean house.
Amen, brother! Since the Bible is the only book written by God, quite clearly it is the only book we need: all other books either agree with the Bible (and are thus superfluous) or disagree with the Bible (and are thus evil).
Burn 'em, I say. Burn every last one of the bastards. And the books, too.