We laugh to hide the tears of anguish.<br><br>I am 100% in support of flatly abolishing the patent system entirely. Don't restart it. Don't rethink it. Just dump it as a bad idea that outlived its conceptualized usefulness. Make the new goal getting your name and gizmo/idea published in something like Science or Make Magazine or the like and then get it into production. <br>
<br>Just because Joe the inventor beat Fred the inventor to the door of the patent office doesn't prove that Fred didn't do the work all on his own and deserves the ability to get his version to market as well. Patents just stink of anti-competitiveness. If Fred and Joe team up what can they do together? They already think alike...<br>
<br>OK. For that matter I'm also not a fan of copyright and trademark except under far more limiting arenas. I think copyright time should be decreased to 10 years by default and extendable to an additional 20 years only with the payment of a HUGE wad of cash (think tens of millions or maybe something tied to the total revenues for the preceeding 10 years) to the schools systems. Trademarks: each company gets 1 and only one for the life of the company. It must be displayed on EVERYTHING related to the company with no exceptions. It can include words but it MUST include a graphic design (support the arts!) and a date established and the TM symbol. The date plus TM symbol means the absence is not the company (thus parodies and art students and schools don't get sued for "similar works") material or representation.<br>
<br>I also really like the idea that companies, corporations - the only currently known artificial life forms (besides lawyers and landlords), must die at some point and be recycled like humans. Tie their charter to the life span of their founders plus a bit (3-5 years) to liquidate the assets. Most corps won't live that long but it stops the mega-corps from becoming "too big to fail". <br>
<br><br>Or maybe as a culture we should start licensing the use everything. Starting now. With this email. You are licensed to read this only once. If you read it, in part or in whole, ever again, you are required to send a payment of $0.02 to the EFF for every word, phrase or paragraph you read, silently or outloud, up to a maximum of $2.14 per reading. If others read it along with you they are subject to the same license terms. People who hear you read it aloud are forbidden to make a copy in any form other than their own organic memory. <br>
<br>I'm working on a license for concrete workers to apply to sidewalks and am getting a patent for the "per step payment system" they will use to charge royalties for walking on the sidewalks they build.<br>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, May 13, 2010 at 11:38 AM, Rev. Johnny Healey <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:rev.null@gmail.com">rev.null@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
You guys joke, but Smuckers did actually patent the PB & J sandwich:<br>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sealed_crustless_sandwich" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sealed_crustless_sandwich</a><br>
<br>
They even sued someone over it.<br>
<font color="#888888"><br>
-Johnny<br>
</font><div><div></div><div class="h5"><br>
On Thu, May 13, 2010 at 10:25 AM, Jim Kinney <<a href="mailto:jim.kinney@gmail.com">jim.kinney@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
> BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!<br>
><br>
> I'm calling groklaw....<br>
><br>
> On Thu, May 13, 2010 at 9:54 AM, William Fragakis <<a href="mailto:william@fragakis.com">william@fragakis.com</a>><br>
> wrote:<br>
>><br>
>> Jim, Jim, Jim. That was covered by my method for a Self Closing and<br>
>> Opening sandwich which I have the rights for.<br>
>><br>
>> Or, better known as SCO Sandwich.<br>
>><br>
>> /rimshot<br>
>><br>
>> William<br>
>><br>
>><br>
>><br>
>> On Thu, 2010-05-13 at 09:11 -0400, Jim Kinney wrote:<br>
>> > Hmm. My filling for patent for hinged bread device for enclosing<br>
>> > general substance was granted earlier to me.<br>
>> ><br>
>> > I'll sue!!!<br>
>> ><br>
>> > On Wed, May 12, 2010 at 11:12 PM, William Fragakis<br>
>> > <<a href="mailto:william@fragakis.com">william@fragakis.com</a>> wrote:<br>
>> > It (the bread) is hinged on one side, which, incidentally, I<br>
>> > patented<br>
>> > several years ago as a self closing baked good for enclosing<br>
>> > protein and<br>
>> > protein substitutes.<br>
>> ><br>
>> > wf<br>
>> ><br>
>> ><br>
>> > On Wed, 2010-05-12 at 18:15 -0400, Tim Watts wrote:<br>
>> > > On Wed, 2010-05-12 at 16:27 -0500, Preston Boyington wrote:<br>
>> > > > Larry Johnson wrote:<br>
>> > > > > IANAL, but the word "footlong" has been in common usage<br>
>> > for so long (I<br>
>> > > > > used to buy them at the Southeastern Fair in the 1950s,<br>
>> > and I"m sure<br>
>> > > > > they predate that) that I doubt Subway would win if it<br>
>> > every went to<br>
>> > > > > court. But what small company wants to fight Subway?<br>
>> > > > ><br>
>> > > ><br>
>> > > > after reading the article I believe that all sandwich<br>
>> > places were the<br>
>> > > > target and the hotdog joint was an oopsie.<br>
>> > > ><br>
>> > > > Quizno's has 'footlongs' if i remember correctly... i<br>
>> > suppose they got a<br>
>> > > > letter too.<br>
>> > > ><br>
>> > > Can someone explain to me how a hot dog is not a kind of<br>
>> > sandwich?<br>
>> > ><br>
>> > ><br>
>> > ><br>
>> > > ________<br>
>> > > Most modern calendars mar the sweet simplicity of our lives<br>
>> > by reminding<br>
>> > > us that each day that passes is the anniversary of some<br>
>> > perfectly<br>
>> > > uninteresting event.<br>
>> > > -- Oscar Wilde<br>
>> > ><br>
>> > ><br>
>> > > _______________________________________________<br>
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>> ><br>
>> > --<br>
>> > --<br>
>> > James P. Kinney III<br>
>> > Actively in pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness<br>
>> > Doing pretty well on all 3 pursuits<br>
>> ><br>
>> > _______________________________________________<br>
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>> > See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at<br>
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>><br>
>><br>
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><br>
><br>
><br>
> --<br>
> --<br>
> James P. Kinney III<br>
> Actively in pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness<br>
> Doing pretty well on all 3 pursuits<br>
><br>
><br>
> _______________________________________________<br>
> Ale mailing list<br>
> <a href="mailto:Ale@ale.org">Ale@ale.org</a><br>
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> See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at<br>
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><br>
><br>
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</div></div></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>-- <br>James P. Kinney III<br>Actively in pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness <br>Doing pretty well on all 3 pursuits <br><br>