[Zope] IBM Patents Web Page Templates

Richard Jones richard@bizarsoftware.com.au
Thu, 18 Oct 2001 11:12:24 +1000


On Thursday 18 October 2001 10:34, Tommy Johnson wrote:
> > On Wednesday 17 October 2001 18:47, Andrew Kenneth Milton wrote:
> > > +-------[ Jerome Alet ]----------------------
> > >
> > > | On Wed, 17 Oct 2001, Andrew Kenneth Milton wrote:
> > > | > There are some bizarre unenforcable patents out there if
> >
> > you look hard
> >
> > > | > enough.
> > > |
> > > | The fact is that patent offices, particularly in the US and
> >
> > AU are just
> >
> > > | plain stupid or very money hungry.
> > > |
> > > | IIRC an oz patented the wheel last year !
> > >
> > > Now that's just creative! d8)
> >
> > Someone here recently got a copyright on a huge set of the
> > possible melodies
> > produced by a touch-tone telephone. Most of them just happen to
> > correspond to
> > phone numbers. The theory is that you can buy your phone number's
> > melody from
> > them for a trivial fee, and then sue someone for copyright
> > infringement when
> > they "play" your melody without your prior consent (ie. cold-calling
> > marketing companies :)
>
> Hmmmm. Maybe I should patent a mailing list. *Oops - maybe I shouldn't have
> said anything yet, now I gotta beat all those who are trying to steal my
> idea.*

I should mention that the person in question was an artist, making a point :)

I believe it was the same case with the person who patented the wheel (but 
not the same person)


    Richard