My theory, which is mine, that I have, which you may ask, is this: "There is no Trademarks section or topic on Slashdot". Since a topic and section must be specified, the closest match, "Patents", was chosen.
We have here on Slashdot today, an elk. Eurgh!!
You do have a point, but I don't think it helps either the patent or trademark issues to lump them together. If/. doesn't want to make a "trademark" section, I feel the standard complement of legal-issues icons would suffice here.
IANAL, but I think the Patents icon is misleading here. While Patents and trademarks can share similar intellectual property issues, they're applied to different things for different reasons. A patent is generally to protect a method, product, device, or similar tangible things, while trademarks are used for words, phrases, logos, symbols, and such descriptives.
The rules governing them are also fundamentally different on many levels. For example, while you can patent something and then sit on it until someone else actually makes the thing and then sue, a trademark must generally be in use to remain protected.
I used Windows to control all my time-related issues once. But after one BSOD all of a sudden it was 1955, my parents accidentally never met, and my future mom started hitting on me. Ugh...
This just in - the same seems to be true of successful retired employees of McDonalds, Saks 5th Avenue, K-Mart, the Long Island Railroad, AT&T, Mel's Diner, NASA, Frito-Lay, Ford, Mad Magazine, Slappy's Bait Shop, Paramount Pictures, Goya, the NSA, and Roy's Gerbil Grooming.
You kids and your fancy record albums! In my day, it was explained to me that the Sun was the hole in the middle of a gramophone cylinder, and the Earth was the trunk in my room at the orphanage in which I kept my knickerbockers, and the farthest planet Neptune would probably be down by the paper mills where all us kids would look for work. Now get off my lawn!
Considering this fiasco seems to have more or less unified the indy games community over the last day or two against Slamdance's actions, I wonder whatever remaining contestants - if any - of this year's awards will hope to gain from their participation. I doubt a "Winner of the 2007 Slamdance Guerrilla Gamemaker Competition" badge on your website is not going to gain you much gamer cred from many gamers or designers any time soon.
it's going to be about who gets to dominate the market for home servers that will control your entertainment, television, telephony, and your home automation system,'
This is the voice of world control. I bring you peace...
If I die and I have no family members and no friends, why should I care what is going to happen to my PCs, my servers, or my bank accounts?
Obviously, you should then entrust said property to the first complete stranger off the Internet who shows an interest, you wonderful lovely person you.
Indeed. I wish I had a game in the competition so I could withdraw it now, and I'd like to go on record as being newly motivated to check out any games by people with enough integerity to stand by their fellow designer and stick to their beliefs even though it means losing a shot at this particular brass ring. That action earns my respect far more than any "I won at Slamdance!" blurb could.
improved method of looking for extraterrestrial life with an Earth-like civilization
Do we really want to find something Earth-like? I for one would rather find someone who's got it right. We need a wise older sibling, not an equally dysfunctional twin.
I could just imagine the space phonecalls..
EARTH: Hey, guys. How's it going?" ALIENS: Well, our environment is crapping itself, we're all trying to kill each other, and we still won't grant marriages to every couple who wants one. EARTH: Yeah, same here. Any, you know, wise alien tips for us? ALIENS: Well... have you invented Reality TV yet? EARTH: Yep, doesn't seem to have helped much. ALIENS: Have you, I dunno, tried invading someplace oil-rich? EARTH: Done that, lots of times. ALIENS: How about starting arguments about the origins of your own species? EARTH: Oh hell, don't get me started on that can of worms buddy. ALIENS: Well, try inventing a couple of new incompatible game consoles...
I'm very sorry to learn of what happened to your mother, you and yours have my deepest condolences.
It all depends on whether the scum who has robbed you is versed in eBay or has to use the traditional fences, flea markets, and crooked pawnbrokers.
The unique thing about eBay is it pretty much has a monopoly on the mainstream used-goods market these days. Flea markets, garage sales, pawn shops, charity shops, and other secondhand sources now have a whole customer base they didn't have ten years ago; people who are specifically looking for cheap stuff to flog on eBay for a profit. So, even if you are robbed by the most net-cluelesss crackhead on the planet, there is a good chance the merchandise will eventually end up in the hands of someone with the means to eBay it.
Slashdot Mirror
..it's the sound of millions of Slashdotters facepalming at once.
I guess I'm the butt of that joke.
You do have a point, but I don't think it helps either the patent or trademark issues to lump them together. If
IANAL, but I think the Patents icon is misleading here. While Patents and trademarks can share similar intellectual property issues, they're applied to different things for different reasons. A patent is generally to protect a method, product, device, or similar tangible things, while trademarks are used for words, phrases, logos, symbols, and such descriptives.
The rules governing them are also fundamentally different on many levels. For example, while you can patent something and then sit on it until someone else actually makes the thing and then sue, a trademark must generally be in use to remain protected.
More, as usual, on WP.
The British navy and the ex-Prime Minister already tried that. Apparantly those Sealanders are real spitfires.
I want to watch that movie! Anyone have a .torrent?
Pirates and the sea! Aye, this be a perfect match if ever there be one.
He'd take the role nowadays only if Han's wife or family were threatened by terrorists.
You're Dracula and I claim my five pounds.
I used Windows to control all my time-related issues once. But after one BSOD all of a sudden it was 1955, my parents accidentally never met, and my future mom started hitting on me. Ugh...
I can't think of a single possible way this could be misused in any manner whatsoever by anyone for any reason in any whatsoever.
Everyone knows, it was Solid Snake that destroyed Metal Gear Solid.
This just in - the same seems to be true of successful retired employees of McDonalds, Saks 5th Avenue, K-Mart, the Long Island Railroad, AT&T, Mel's Diner, NASA, Frito-Lay, Ford, Mad Magazine, Slappy's Bait Shop, Paramount Pictures, Goya, the NSA, and Roy's Gerbil Grooming.
You kids and your fancy record albums! In my day, it was explained to me that the Sun was the hole in the middle of a gramophone cylinder, and the Earth was the trunk in my room at the orphanage in which I kept my knickerbockers, and the farthest planet Neptune would probably be down by the paper mills where all us kids would look for work. Now get off my lawn!
Considering this fiasco seems to have more or less unified the indy games community over the last day or two against Slamdance's actions, I wonder whatever remaining contestants - if any - of this year's awards will hope to gain from their participation. I doubt a "Winner of the 2007 Slamdance Guerrilla Gamemaker Competition" badge on your website is not going to gain you much gamer cred from many gamers or designers any time soon.
Don't forget your pocketful of bright shiny quarters!
The name of the damn contest is "The Slamdance Guerilla Gamemaker Competition." That would be "guerilla" as in "a member of a band of irregular soldiers that uses guerrilla warfare, harassing the enemy by surprise raids, sabotaging communication and supply lines, etc."
Indeed. I wish I had a game in the competition so I could withdraw it now, and I'd like to go on record as being newly motivated to check out any games by people with enough integerity to stand by their fellow designer and stick to their beliefs even though it means losing a shot at this particular brass ring. That action earns my respect far more than any "I won at Slamdance!" blurb could.
in 3.. 2...
I could just imagine the space phonecalls..
EARTH: Hey, guys. How's it going?"
ALIENS: Well, our environment is crapping itself, we're all trying to kill each other, and we still won't grant marriages to every couple who wants one.
EARTH: Yeah, same here. Any, you know, wise alien tips for us?
ALIENS: Well... have you invented Reality TV yet?
EARTH: Yep, doesn't seem to have helped much.
ALIENS: Have you, I dunno, tried invading someplace oil-rich?
EARTH: Done that, lots of times.
ALIENS: How about starting arguments about the origins of your own species?
EARTH: Oh hell, don't get me started on that can of worms buddy.
ALIENS: Well, try inventing a couple of new incompatible game consoles...