Seems to me like the problems with the USPTO are fully understood by the community, or at least well documented. Part of the problem is big companies like MS and IBM are forced to develop large "defensive" patent collections. They try to grab as many and as trivial patents as they can so they can avoid defending against trivial patents. When was the last time you heard about MS going after someone with one of their patents? They are trying to protect themselves from the Eolases of the world.
That MS or IBM or Sun obtains a patent on trivial concept xyz isn't interesting anymore. I don't like MS and I don't like the situation at the USPTO, but a news post about Just Another Stupid Patent, especially when it's MS rather than the many other companies doing this, seems like glorified trolling to me. I'd rather./ let us know about positive things like the EFF patent busters or other new ideas on how to change, or get involved in changing, this sad situation, rather than nurturing our cynicism.
-numpf
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Seems to me like the problems with the USPTO are fully understood by the community, or at least well documented. Part of the problem is big companies like MS and IBM are forced to develop large "defensive" patent collections. They try to grab as many and as trivial patents as they can so they can avoid defending against trivial patents. When was the last time you heard about MS going after someone with one of their patents? They are trying to protect themselves from the Eolases of the world. That MS or IBM or Sun obtains a patent on trivial concept xyz isn't interesting anymore. I don't like MS and I don't like the situation at the USPTO, but a news post about Just Another Stupid Patent, especially when it's MS rather than the many other companies doing this, seems like glorified trolling to me. I'd rather ./ let us know about positive things like the EFF patent busters or other new ideas on how to change, or get involved in changing, this sad situation, rather than nurturing our cynicism.
-numpf