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Russian Hopes To Cash In On Emoticons

Posted by timothy on from the but-cyrillic-is-full-of-emoticons dept.

drewmoney writes "According to a BBC article, Entrepreneur Oleg Teterin said the trademark for the ';-)' emoticon was granted to him by Russia's federal patent agency. 'Legal use will be possible after buying an annual licence from us,' he was quoted by the newspaper Kommersant as saying. 'It won't cost that much — tens of thousands of dollars,' added the businessman, who is president of Superfone, a company that sells advertising on mobile phones. The president of Russian social networking site odnoklassniki.ru, Nikita Sherman said: 'You're not likely to find any retards in Russia who'll pay Superfone for the use of emoticons.'" Teterin may have gotten the idea by catching up on some old news about Despair, Inc., which in May 2000 was awarded a US trademark on the "frowny" emoticon (Slashdot story).

40 of 213 comments (clear)

  1. Provocation by MadDogX · · Score: 5, Funny

    :-) ... Am I doin it rite?

    1. Re:Provocation by sadgoblin · · Score: 2, Funny

      KGB is watching you.

    2. Re:Provocation by Haley's+Comet · · Score: 3, Funny

      Hey Oleg Teterin, "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you..." ;-)


      The IP patent race is the new 'Special Olypics'...

      --
      The Illuminati would kill me, but I'm not rich enough to take notice of.
    3. Re:Provocation by iammani · · Score: 2, Funny

      Redundant? Its strange that some mods think :-) = ;-)

  2. Fine with me by Golddess · · Score: 3, Funny

    I never put noses on my emoticons anyway ;)

    --
    "I'm not sure I like the fugnutish tone you used in your post!" -RogL (608926)-
    1. Re:Fine with me by Andr+T. · · Score: 5, Funny
      RTFA. You're doomed.

      He also said since other similar emoticons - :-) or ;) or :) - resemble the one he has trademarked, use of those symbols could also fall under his ownership.

      --

      Any life is made up of a single moment, the moment in which a man finds out, once and for all, who he is.

    2. Re:Fine with me by suggsjc · · Score: 4, Funny

      I had a couple of mod points, but I honestly couldn't decide between funny and insightful. Either way, I'm going to start using this one: =[:~;X(---[

      I'm not exactly sure what it is, but I think there is a top hat and a bowtie in there somehow.

      --
      When I have a kid, I want to put him in one of those strollers for twins and then run around the mall looking frantic.
    3. Re:Fine with me by SharpFang · · Score: 5, Funny

      You asshole, I ran this as a Perl program and it erased my hard drive.

      --
      45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
  3. Re:Patent Office == Zoo filled with Idiots? by Sebilrazen · · Score: 4, Funny
    There's a popular meme around here that applies, I just can't figure out which one:
    • Does it run linux?
    • I, for one, welcome our new ? overlords.
    • In Soviet Russia, ? you!
    • ?????
    • Profit.
    --
    "There are no facts, only interpretations." --Friedrich Nietzsche.
  4. Imagine the scene by Rik+Sweeney · · Score: 5, Funny

    Judge: Oleg Teterin?
    Oleg Teterin: Yes? :-)
    Judge: We have ruled that you don't have a patent on the emoticon
    Oleg Teterin: Oh :-(
    Everyone else: lol! :-P

    --
    Summation 2
    1. Re:Imagine the scene by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Oleg Teterin: Oh :-(
      Judge: You don't have a patent on that emoticon either
      Oleg Teterin: ...
      Lawyer: *flicks through looking for a patent on ellipses*

  5. Patent THIS: by AndGodSed · · Score: 5, Funny

    :-*

    my

    (_|_)

    >:-(

    --

    Seven Days with Ubuntu Unity

  6. Is this copyright worldwide? by AndGodSed · · Score: 1, Funny

    Does this ruling apply worldwide?

    If so, I am now a emoticon pirate. You will probably be able to get some at piratebay soon.

    --

    Seven Days with Ubuntu Unity

  7. Patent by loonycyborg · · Score: 5, Funny

    You keep using that "patent" word. I don't think that it means what you think it means.

  8. In Soviet Russia... by Cornwallis · · Score: 3, Funny

    :) owns all of us.

  9. Re:Couldn't the folks who patented the typewriter. by pm_rat_poison · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hello? Is this the patent office? Good. I'd like to file a patent please. It's called "Use of organic materials for human energy acquisition"

  10. In soviet russia C-: own you by Tei · · Score: 5, Funny

    Two counterfeigted version:
    C-:
    (-:

    --

    -Woof woof woof!

  11. Other Patent by Andr+T. · · Score: 4, Funny

    It seems he patented Times New Roman size 12pt too!

    --

    Any life is made up of a single moment, the moment in which a man finds out, once and for all, who he is.

  12. Re:Patent Office == Zoo filled with Idiots? by JJJK · · Score: 5, Funny

    you forgot "you insensitive clod", you insensitive clod!

  13. Re:Its a PR Stunt, not about trademark by EdZ · · Score: 4, Funny

    Are you sure you're, using commas correctly?

  14. Re:Damn by Andr+T. · · Score: 2, Funny
    Here where I live we c_n't type a cert_in letter. You know, the first letter of the _lph_bet.

    D_mn, I'll be p_ying for my sig.

    --

    Any life is made up of a single moment, the moment in which a man finds out, once and for all, who he is.

  15. Re:Its a PR Stunt, not about trademark by ideonode · · Score: 5, Funny

    They're not commas but apostrophes that fell of the "it's" and wandered upstream like salmon.

  16. Re:Patent Office == Zoo filled with Idiots? by Grimbleton · · Score: 4, Funny

    You must be new here.

  17. Time to opensource emoticons by frenchgates · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm tired of paying the man to use them and I don't have the programming skill to figure out how to make them myself.

    --
    Syntax error: loose != lose, affect != effect, then!=than
  18. Re:In soviet russia C-: own you by PinkyDead · · Score: 2, Funny

    I think you'll find that they are already defined as "User is cat in the dark with Mushroom on Head" and "User is ninja cat in the dark about to perform Sumarai attack", respectively.

    --
    Genesis 1:32 And God typed :wq!
  19. There's No Such Agency... by MRe_nl · · Score: 4, Funny

    Anymore anyway.
    The name of the largest of the Russian successors to the KGB is the FSB, est. 1991.
    AKA the Federal Smiley Bureau ; ).

    --
    "Kill 'em all and let Root sort 'em out"
    1. Re:There's No Such Agency... by sadgoblin · · Score: 1, Funny

      That's what they want you to think.

  20. Re:Its a PR Stunt, not about trademark by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    They're probably stalking the missing 'f' from your post. ;)

  21. Re:Patent Office == Zoo filled with Idiots? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    There's a popular meme around here that applies, I just can't figure out which one:
    • Does it run linux?
    • I, for one, welcome our new ? overlords.
    • In Soviet Russia, ? you!
    • ?????
    • Profit
  22. This is Proof that by twmcneil · · Score: 2, Funny

    The Russians do have a sense of humor. It's just a little different than ours.

    --
    "The ferrets, they're every where I tell you!"
  23. Re:Patent Office == Zoo filled with Idiots? by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1, Funny

    On Slashdot, only old people use the "insensitive clod" meme.

  24. Re:Patent Office == Zoo filled with Idiots? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    There's a popular meme around here that applies, I just can't figure out which one:
    • Does it run linux?
    • I, for one, welcome our new ?? overlords.
    • In Soviet Russia, ? you!
    • ?????
    • Profit.
  25. Where Have I Seen This Before? by wchatam · · Score: 2, Funny

    This reminds me of the shenanigans of a company closer to home. I'd like to invite these two to work out their emoticon patent issues in the following manner:

    o
    |\__o
    /\/\ /\

  26. Emoticons are funnier by snspdaarf · · Score: 3, Funny

    in the original Klingon.

    --
    Why, without your clothes, you're naked, Miss Dudley!
  27. Maybe this will stifle use and kill the format by riegel · · Score: 2, Funny

    Maybe this will stifle their use and kill the format.

    Maybe this is a good use of the patent system.

    I also think any web forum that uses them should pay through the nose to this guy for the revenues he has surely lost.

    This will have the greater effect of stifling all such uses in the future.

    The more I think about it the more convinced I am that this is an excellent use of the patent system.

    ;) , Ooops I mean *wink*.

    --
    http://p8ste.com - Web based Clipboard
  28. Re:Patent Office == Zoo filled with Idiots? by Catiline · · Score: 3, Funny

    In Soviet Russia, new smiley overlords profit??? from YOU! Oh, wait....

    --
    Do you like Japanese imports?
  29. In other news, by Alpha830RulZ · · Score: 2, Funny

    I have now copyrighted the word 'fuck', and would like to offer it's use to the world for the low, low price of $0.05 USD. Users may buy a volume license of 30 uses for a dollar. Sysadmins may obtain an unlimited license for $20/year.

    --
    I was taught to respect my elders. The trouble is, it's getting harder and harder to find some.
  30. Re:Its a PR Stunt, not about trademark by MBGMorden · · Score: 4, Funny

    Tack "Captain's log, stardate 1234, " onto the front of his post and it flows much more naturally.

    --
    "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
  31. Re:Its a PR Stunt, not about trademark by Hoi+Polloi · · Score: 2, Funny

    Those were supposed to be ";-)" but he couldn't afford the licensing fee for anything except the ","

    --
    It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
  32. Prisons happier places... by AmigaHeretic · · Score: 4, Funny

    I am I the ONLY one that see this as a "good" thing?

    I mean, if you ban emoticons then only crminals will have emoticons.

    Think how much cherrier prisons would be!! :-)


    hmmm... or more dangerous...

    ...._______________________
    ..../_==o;;;;;;____________[]
    ''' ), ---.(_(__) /
    '' // (__) ), -"
    ' //__//
    //__//