Facebook Locks Down Social Gift Giving Patent

bizwriter writes "Facebook has been on a roll of late, nailing a number of patent grants that will help it retain dominance in social networking by creating barriers for competitors. Yesterday came patent number 7,970,657, 'Giving gifts and displaying assets in a social network environment'. Although it doesn't directly prevent other social networks from enabling gift giving among users, a clever legal and technical maneuver makes it far more difficult."

WTF?

[Anonymous Coward]

What's the point of patenting things anymore if the "design", "process" or "technology" is so trivial as this? I may as well go ahead with my patent for "any method of expulsion of bodily fluids" - as dumb as the USPTO is, they'll probably grant it. Prior art be damned.

gifting online then and now

[alphatel]

Playing social games, 1989

• gift troll bread

• You gifted a bread to a large troll.

• The troll smiles and lets you pass the bridge

New ending! 2011

• Mark Zuckerberg booms: Though shall not gift!

• The troll, angry at your attempted patent theft, slays you

Re:Facebook is a fad

[bmo]

>snarky remark about online social media

And yet, here you are on slashdot.

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BMO