Tip! Try a few relevant words in the word search engine and see what turns up. If turned up any patents in the ’shoot from the hip’ step above, examine them for possible search words.
Technology patents stifle innovation. You may have heard this, and the arguments surrounding it, since the first software patents were issued. Until now, however, the average individual in the United States has not noticed really noticed the reach that intellectual property law protection has in their everyday lives. After all, one does not miss innovation that has been crushed prior to the product’s shipment into the supply chain. The “wouldn’t it be nice if we had something like this” thought doesn’t normally result in a search for that item just to find that someone tried to develop it but was stopped either by being threatened with the high cost of patent infringement, threats of never ending lawsuits based on copyright or other claims, or even threats of federal legislation that will leave their product useless.
This is a preview of
Boots patent – USPTO Grants Another Stupid Software Patent – Hand In Your Blackberry At the Door
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