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Patent Claim Could Block Import of Toyota's Hybrid Cars
JynxMe writes "Paice is a tiny Florida company that has patented a way to apply force to a car's wheels from an electric motor or internal combustion engine. Paice thinks that Toyota is infringing on its technology, and is going after the automaker in court. The legal spat became much more serious for Toyota this week, when the US International Trade Commission decided to investigate the matter. In the worst-case scenario for Toyota, the commission could ban the hybrid Camry, third-generation Prius, Lexus HS250h sedan and Lexus RX450h SUV."
So what, they patented the transmission? CV joints? Axles?
Paice LLC Lawyer: Umm... Sure, why not?
This is where the president outta step in and stop the stifling of the hybrid market by null and voiding any such patents, it would be much better than cash for clunkers...and not cost us a dime. The car companies in the US and Japan could then stop suing each other and get down to designing the best hybrids, unhindered by crap like this from other car manufacturers and individuals.
This is the US we are talking about.
A country that provided the world with such things as electricity, the automobile, the outcome of WWII, the internets, manned space exploration, etc.
The global financial system is pure bullshit.
It's all numbers in a database, and those numbers do NOT correspond to anything tangible. They're produced out of thin air. It is not a problem unique to the US, nor does any nation's "debt" or "surplus" have any actual meaning.
Financial ruin IS avoidable - go back to the gold standard and stop bailing out the morons (from giant companies to the individual). And of course, don't tax the people out the ass for stupid shit. Politicians and huge companies don't want any of that though.
Keep shitting on the US, though, because the rest of the world is totally so much better off and owes the US nothing.
I do, I've yet to have them tell me I can't see a Dr (any of them I want to see so far) when I want to. They have yet to say they won't let me go for any tx I want. Honestly, I've no complaints and have not run into any restrictions on my tx or Dr. I've chosen.
You're lucky your employer chose that company. Many policies do, in fact, restrict all those things.
Why do you pay so much?
Because I have no choice. It's very good insurance; If I'd gone for a standard lens implant instead of the new tech, the entire operation would have been covered. I'd have had a big deductable with many companies.
My insurance company isn't beholden to me, they're beholden to their stockholders. And I can't replace them at an affordable price. I have no say about how they run the business, and have no recourse. With a public plan I can at least vote against somebody who appoints administrators.
Bureacracy isn't a function of government, it's a function of any organization that reaches some threshold in size. And most insurance companies are arguably more bureaucratic than many Federal government agencies.
Free Martian Whores!