http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/54.page JForum - http://www.jforum.net I had never heard of this before, but apparently it has been going on for a few years. Apparently a company claims to have a patent on recording yourself talking and then putting it online. They go around suing podcasts to try and get money out of them. The actual patent says "A system for disseminating media content representing episodes in a serialized sequence", yet the company, Personal Audio, has never produced any product, the only thing they have done is sue podcasts, or tv and film companies.

I think I may patent reproducing images of inhaling and exhaling, either moving or still, and sue every film every made. If they didn't want to pay the royalties why did they let the actors breathe?]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/543648/5906488.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/543648/5906488.page GMT
The 'Keep Calm and Carry on' shenanigans is a prime example. ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/543648/5906511.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/543648/5906511.page GMT http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/543648/5906709.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/543648/5906709.page GMT
IMHO, it's one of the biggest things holding back the advancement of commercial technology. The apple vs samsung patent wars have left everyone unable to innovate because the 'next best thing' has been patented by someone, so now no-one has the nads to actually produce the next best thing in case they find themselves on the receiving end of a billion-dollar lawsuit.

Put it this way, Apple owns a patent for 'a mobile telecommunications device whose primary input mode is a touchscreen'. The tech industry isn't about developing new innovative stuff anymore, it's about making sure no-one else can develop something better than yours...]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/543648/5906769.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/543648/5906769.page GMT
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/441/when-patents-attack
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/496/when-patents-attack-part-two

It's more than this particular piece of tech too. Your basic formula is this:

-Get a vague patent, however legit or bogus.
-Find somebody who is doing something that might fall under that patent.
-Take action against them for as much money as you can without making the legal battle against you cost effective.

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Good times, good times.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/543648/5907333.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/543648/5907333.page GMT http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/01/02
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