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A Patent Tree Grows In Seattle

Posted by samzenpus on from the call-paul-bunyon dept.

theodp writes "Among the featured attractions for the kids at the just-opened $10 million Bezos Center for Innovation in the $60 million Museum of History & Industry in Seattle is a 'Patent Tree'. The museum opening marks the end of a week for Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos that saw his personal and managerial life put on display with the release of an excerpt from The Everything Store, a new book by Brad Stone, who reveals how he found Bezos's long-lost biological father."

5 of 37 comments (clear)

  1. One click by girlintraining · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So the guy who pretty much sparked off the patent arms race with his "one click" patent non-sense is now building a shrine to his climb up the ladder of success, which largely consisted of him stomping on the fingers of everyone he climbed over. And it's in Seattle no less, pretty much the city that bathes itself in Irony showers daily.

    Beautiful symmetry. Brings a tear to my eye.

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    1. Re:One click by phantomfive · · Score: 2

      As much as I hate Bezos, the patent arms race has been around for a LONG time, with sewing machines in the 1800s, for example.

      In computers, in the 50s and 60s people were trying to patent computer instructions.

      In the 80s, we have stuff like this story where IBM nearly destroyed Sun with patents. And by that time they were already experienced.

      That might not even be the worst, in the 70s there were stories of companies starting fires in each other's warehouses, etc. (see Soul of a New Machine for a source to that rumor).

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
  2. Wasn't that in the Garden of Eden? by Zibodiz · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I think it was called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (except in this case, probably just the evil part.) Or, if you're a corporation, I guess it might be the Tree of Everlasting Life.

  3. Poison Patent Tree by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Bezos is synonymous with bad patents in my mind... all because of his one-click patent which makes a mockery of the entire patent system and undermines any validity his other patents might have.

    To me a patent means that someone with money and power has staked out an area in the playground that he will bully others to protect... it has less and less to do with innovation.

  4. Re:Indoctrinate by mwvdlee · · Score: 2

    It would be okay if it weren't for the additional 5 days of weekend /. editors have every week.

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