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Microsoft Applies For Patent On Tufte's Sparklines

Posted by timothy on from the audacity-of-patents dept.

jenkin sear writes "Data visualization guru Edward Tufte developed Sparklines, a great way to display condensed data as an inline graphic. Excel's new version has incorporated the design element — and Microsoft has applied for a patent on them — without so much as a by-your-leave from Tufte."

1 of 175 comments (clear)

  1. "Non experts" are rightfully scared by Nicolas+MONNET · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    First of all, fuck you and your condescending attitude.

    Patents are unreadable by an expert in the field they apply to. I have 15 years experience in IT, as a developer and sysadmin, plus a formal education in a technical field, and I can't understand patents that apply to the work I do. I can not. I might just be stupid, but I can't help notice that most of my peers can't read patents either.

    Yet I can get sued should I publish Free software that is infringing on something I can't read.

    And here you are, patronising people for not understanding that patent, while the damn things are made unreadable *on fucking purpose* because it's advantageous to the patent holder since it makes it easier to trick east Texan rednecks into awarding them billions for nothing.