Google Patents Displaying Patents 93
Posted
by
timothy
from the on-the-internet dept.
from the on-the-internet dept.
theodp writes "Google has actually managed to patent displaying patents. The USPTO issued US Patent No. D603,866 to six Google inventors for their 'graphical user interface for display screen of a communications terminal.' Among the six inventors is the guy who introduced Google Patents. Ironically, Google Patents can't seem to find the new Google patent for Google Patents."
No, they didn't (Score:5, Insightful)
They got a design patent. That's something complete different [wikipedia.org] from a regular patent.
Re:Uh... (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't think Google is here who is to blame. We see these kinds of news everyday by Microsoft etc too. It's just how the (broken) US patent system works and companies have to cope with that too.
Ironically, Google Patents can't seem to find the new Google patent for Google Patents.
To be fair, there's no translation of the papers online everywhere else either.
Also;
The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but reserves all other copyrights whatsoever.
So like with many other computer patents, they just seem to be covering their own asses against patent trolls. Blame the system, not those who need to work with it.
Re:Design Patent (Score:5, Insightful)
You must be new here. Every patent story on Slashdot is like this, and in every case theres tons of people jumping in who can't seem to understand the abstract is just that.. an abstract. You need to read the actual claims and description to see what is being patented.
But lets not get into way of some good sensationalism journalism.
Re:Uh... (Score:4, Insightful)
Not even the web GUI, the exact visual layout of the GUI, just like people patent other designs (textiles for example).
Not news like 90% of Slashdot today (what the fuck, an OLD VERSIONS OF IE exploit is news here? 10 of those are uncovered a day)
Re:Yo dawg (Score:2, Insightful)
The above comment is a violation of Xzibit's Recursion, patent number 112358.
it's a design patent (Score:3, Insightful)
and that's consistent (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Uh... (Score:3, Insightful)
No. Google's main business is advertising. If you search, you are the product, not the customer.