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Patents

Washington Mutual Patents the Bank Branch 291

Posted by michael from the argh dept.
ewhac writes "Okay, so it's not a bank branch per se, but a particular kind of bank branch -- one that has play areas for kids, serves coffee and popcorn, and has kiosks instead of teller windows. Washington Mutual has dubbed this branch design, "Occasio" (a generic Latin word meaning, "favorable opportunity," and which has probably been trademarked). The San Francisco Chronicle reports that it may be the first time the USPTO has awarded a patent for the design of a retail store/presence."
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Washington Mutual Patents the Bank Branch More

Washington Mutual Patents the Bank Branch

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  • Yes, "Occasio" is trademarked (Score:5, Informative)

    by Motherfucking Shit ( 636021 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @07:03PM (#9539651) Journal
    Here [uspto.gov], here [uspto.gov], here [uspto.gov], and here [uspto.gov]. Washington Mutual owns all of them.

    • Re:Yes, "Occasio" is trademarked (Score:5, Informative)

      by bar-agent ( 698856 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @07:25PM (#9539749)
      And here [uspto.gov] is the actual text of the patent.

    • Re:Yes, "Occasio" is trademarked (Score:2, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      FUCK! We have a bunch of idiots working at USPTO.

    • ..excuse me... but this is stupid (Score:4, Funny)

      by Simonetta ( 207550 ) on Sunday June 27, 2004 @02:21AM (#9540996)
      Getting a patent on the idea of providing a little play area for children while the parents are occupied with a transaction? My feminist friends have been suggesting this very thing for over thirty years now.

      Getting a patent for the idea of serving popcorn?
      Are the movie theatres going to have to make payments to these people?

      C'mon...a patent is supposed to be for inventing something serious and useful. This is not patent material by any stretch.

      But since we're in the mood, let me be the first girl to patent the blow job. Yes, I invented it and it is now my intellectual property! So pay up. Credit card payments are billed to:

      Christian Missionary Support Services, Inc.

      This is no more absurd than putting a play pen in the corner of the store. Now, putting a play pen for senior executives who came up with this idea (or the Patent Office bozos who approved it), that would be a patentable idea.

      • Re:..excuse me... but this is stupid (Score:5, Funny)

        by dipipanone ( 570849 ) on Sunday June 27, 2004 @03:00AM (#9541063)
        But since we're in the mood, let me be the first girl to patent the blow job. Yes, I invented it and it is now my intellectual property!

        Not so fast, not so fast.

        As your local USPTO inspector, before I can grant you your patent, I really think you'd better be giving me a demonstration of this so called 'new invention' that you've come up with.

        I need to be able to compare it with some of the sex acts that various other women are claiming as 'prior art'.

        Present yourself at my office, first thing on Monday morning -- and bring a sturdy pair of kneepads.

  • Since when is environment patentable? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Crudely_Indecent ( 739699 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @07:04PM (#9539655) Journal
    I can understand patenting logos, designs, even shoe tread patterns.........but furniture layout?

    Ok, I'm going to file for my own patent. I'll call it "Geek Apartment" and it will consist of empty soda cans, dirty laundry, an unmade bed, and between 6 and 14 computers in various states of assembly (all running however).

    There's your fair warning, soon you'll all be paying me royalties, or cleaning your apartments.

    • Re:Since when is environment patentable? (Score:5, Funny)

      by josh3736 ( 745265 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @07:06PM (#9539668) Homepage
      There's your fair warning, soon you'll all be paying me royalties, or cleaning your apartments.

      Finally, you have given us a reason to get off our collective asses and clean up that funny stuff that's been growing in the corner.

      So I say, patent away! You'll be doing a favor for society.

      • Re:Since when is environment patentable? (Score:5, Funny)

        by dbarclay10 ( 70443 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @07:37PM (#9539814)
        Ok, I'm going to file for my own patent. I'll call it "Geek Apartment" and it will consist of empty soda cans, dirty laundry, an unmade bed, and between 6 and 14 computers in various states of assembly (all running however). There's your fair warning, soon you'll all be paying me royalties, or cleaning your apartments.
        Finally, you have given us a reason to get off our collective asses and clean up that funny stuff that's been growing in the corner.

        The last time I tried to clean up the funny smell that's been growing in the corner, it beat me with a stick and made me feed it Doritos crumbs.

    • Re:Since when is environment patentable? (Score:5, Funny)

      by kunudo ( 773239 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @07:10PM (#9539689)
      I think there might be some prior art on that one... :)

      However, I have a feeling that that won't stop the USPTO from awarding you your patent...

    • Re:Since when is environment patentable? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by msobkow ( 48369 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @08:45PM (#9540056) Homepage Journal

      The environment became patentable when the US government was sold to the corporations through campaign contributions.

      You and your vote don't matter to them anymore unless you've got the finances and clout to smack them with a serious lawsuit. Thanks to electronic voting which has no reliable paper trail, the embarassment of the Florida election recounts will be a thing of the past. Now they can just change the history records to ensure the talking head of choice has the presidency.

      Looks like William Gibson was right about more than he should have been.

  • Physical design (Score:5, Interesting)

    by bar-agent ( 698856 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @07:04PM (#9539658)
    I'm actually okay with this one. At least this is a patent on something physical, something that can be built.

    A retail layout is more like a device to increase sales, than a business method is.

    • Re:Physical design (Score:5, Funny)

      by Vicegrip ( 82853 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @07:13PM (#9539700) Journal
      A 20 year monopoly on the arrangment of 'stuff' is ok with you?

      By the way, I hope you are not infringing my patent on "poor taste furniture" covering such things such as the use of duct tape to cover broken springs.

      Also, if you hang up your towels next to your shower, I'm going to sue.

    • Re:Physical design (Score:4, Funny)

      by kfg ( 145172 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @07:14PM (#9539706)
      I'm actually okay with this one. At least this is a patent on something physical, something that can be built.

      Dear Sir,

      I note that the way you have laid out your work area including a play area for your child is my idea, as is the coffepot in the corner.

      This is my intellectual property. If you do not remove the playpen and coffee pot you will be hearing from my laywers.

      Good day.

      KFG
    • Yeah at least it is something physical, and better than alot of patents awarded lately. But it still goes against the original idea behind patents, to encourage people to come up with new technological advances or improve existing technology. Patents were never intended to give people a monopoly over just a neat idea that can potentially make money.

      • Patents were never intended to give people a monopoly over just a neat idea that can potentially make money.

        That's is precisely why patents are given.

        The unintended consequence is that shifty IP carpetbaggers and claimjumpers will apply for a patent on an existing ideas and technologies in order to extort undeserved licensing fees. They couch their patent application language in broad or vague terms to disguise their real targets, not that it seems to matter as the patent office examiners seem totally clu

    • They're going to find themselves sued for stealing other people's ideas, now that they've patented it. Here's the relevant quote from their site: [wamunewsroom.com]
      "We took our cues from cutting edge retailers to provide an open, welcoming environment and top-notch customer service to draw customers into the branch and enhance the cross-sell of products and services," says Karen Curtin, the Planning and Franchise Development executive who leads the team responsible for creating and launching Occasio.

      "Department stores long ago adopted the 'shop within a store' concept with Polo shops and Liz Claiborne shops," says Curtin. "We did the same. Our stores have shops of their own -- like a shop for investment products and for home loan products."

      So we have their rep admitting to prior art, stealing the "idea" from Polo and Liz Claiborne (who never bothered to patent it because it really isn't patentable, but now that the USPTO says it is, hey, let the lawyers fight it out)...

    • Re:Physical design (Score:5, Insightful)

      by pavon ( 30274 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @08:28PM (#9540006)
      Lets look at it another way. If you ask "Is this tolerable?" then there is always an argument that it is, and the system will just continue to get worse, but we will get accustumed to it, and each successive change won't look that bad.

      We should instead be asking "Is this necisarry or benificial to society?". That is the whole purpose of patents - to provide individual incentive so that technology progesses quicker than it would otherwise. So ask yourself - did this invention require a large investment to discover that can only be recouped by granting a monopoly on it's use? No. I'm sure discovering the invention itself did not require any substantial investment. Implementing it will but those are normal business costs and don't need to be protected as everyone who implements this idea will have to pay them, not just the inventor.

      Do the benifits of having the plans to this invention out in the open, as opposed to it being kept as a trade secret, overweight the detriment of having to wait 20 years to use those plans? No - this is a concept whose details are obvious once implemented and thus there is no chance for the inventor to hoard this idea as trade secret. In other words, the plan will be in the open regardless of whether it is patented or not, so it does not benifit society to wait 20 years for what it could have now.

      Would the inventor still have invented this as quickly if patent system did not exist? Yes, and not only that but I am sure the bank would also have implemented the idea even if they couldn't patent it. This patent does nothing to benifit society so there is no reason that a sensible patent system should allow it.

  • Ahhhh (Score:3, Interesting)

    by michaeltoe ( 651785 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @07:05PM (#9539661) Journal
    This kind of nonsense will just accelerate the collapse of our intellectual property system. It won't be pretty, but maybe it will actually work if we need to start from scratch.

    • Re:Ahhhh (Score:2, Insightful)

      by mOoZik ( 698544 )
      Why is it nonsense? It is a unique take on a banking environment and is very different from anything else out there. At first glance, it does seem silly, but upon closer examination, it appears apt.

      • Why is it nonsense? It is a unique take on a banking environment and is very different from anything else out there. At first glance, it does seem silly, but upon closer examination, it appears apt.

        Well, I work in a bank (Credit Union) that has toys, coffee and kiosks.
        I'm much less impressed with this than you are.

  • Wouldn't a copyright be more applicable... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by mikael ( 484 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @07:08PM (#9539676)
    Furniture designers and architects file copyrights on their designs all the time. Wouldn't a copyright for a particular design be more appropriate. They really didn't invent anything new ... Dentists, doctors, DIY stores and fitness centres have been doing this for ages.

  • This is really getting ridiculous! (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    What's next?

    Patenting farting in the tub for those who can't afford a real hot tub?

  • Rerun (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Jack Action ( 761544 )
    The USA is looking more and more like Spain circa 1700 all the time. Less and less is produced in the US each year, but tax is taken off legitimate enterprise. (Like the Spaniards who sat back and lived off the gold from their Empire, ceasing to work.)

    Sad, really.

  • I hearby patent breakfast nook (Score:5, Insightful)

    by mo ( 2873 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @07:10PM (#9539685)
    Here's a list of other building layouts that pop into mind as patentable based on this precedent:
    • fast-food drive thru
    • Ikea's linear flow (start in one spot, pay at the end
    • Doctors' offices with the front desk and waiting room and the numerous patients' rooms behind the door.
    • Fry's electronics queueing layout with impulse shelves
    • Stadium Seating in the movies
    • Casino layouts that obscure the exit

    I was hoping to one day contract an architect to design a house that perfectly suited my family's needs. It would suck to have to get a patent attorney to check for prior art on my "invention".
    • Except, of course, that all of these have been done. In other words, you've not come up with an original idea.

      A bank branch that's oriented toward providing coffee, child areas, etc, however, hasn't been done. I'll point to the fact no bank I know does this as proof.

      Hence, unlike your ideas, WaMu came up with an actual original idea and patented.

      OK, that makes sense to me.
      • I've been to plenty of places that provided those amenities, just none of them were banks before. I've been to a million auto repair shops where they had a little coffee station. Pretty much any doctor or dentist's office has a corner full of toys for kids. Some of them probably offer coffee too. Why does the fact that WaMu is a bank make their idea so unique and worth protecting?
    • Hate to tell you that most of that is not patentable. Even if the original creator of the ideas you cite wanted to secure a patent, it would be too late because his ideas are in the mainstream. This type of protection is the same as when an individual holds a patent but decides not to enforce it until the concept gains market share. I'm more surprised you garnered a 4-insightful.

      And, I believe architectural plans are copyright, not patent.
  • It's become like hearing about every murder in the newspaper. I know they happen, there's not much I can do about it, and hearing about it only upsets me. We all know the patent laws are screwed up here on slashdot, do we really need to hear about every new stupid thing that should never have been issued a patent?

  • The next step is to sue every McDonald's (Score:3, Insightful)

    by kfg ( 145172 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @07:11PM (#9539691)
    with an ATM machine.

    KFG

  • Perversion of IP (Score:5, Insightful)

    by PenguinJames ( 789051 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @07:11PM (#9539692) Homepage Journal
    This is a complete perversion of the concept of Intellectual Property. The US Consitution allows things like patents and other IP "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts". Recent patents granted by USPTO are just absurd, and do not fulfill the original intent of the Consitutional basis for IP in the US.

  • Laugh it's funny (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Quirk ( 36086 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @07:19PM (#9539726) Homepage Journal
    England had Monty Python America has the USPTO

  • Trade Dress (Score:5, Informative)

    by cmason32 ( 636063 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @07:20PM (#9539734)
    I don't understand how the USPTO can give out this patent. The design of a store is typically protected by trade dress [wikipedia.org]. The Supreme Court has explicity stated that you're not supposed to be able patent protection if something is normally covered by trademark law. Whomever approved this needs to be canned.
    • I originally read "caned", and thought, "YES!"

      (OK, it was funny to *me*...)

    • Re:Trade Dress (Score:4, Interesting)

      by bar-agent ( 698856 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @07:33PM (#9539789)
      Perhaps this doesn't fall under "trade dress" because (according to the Wikipedia article you linked to):
      Trade dress must also be nonfunctional in order to be legally protected; otherwise it is the subject matter of patent law, if anything.
      • But this doesn't necessarily mean that it qualifies for patent protection. The non-functional issue came about in a case wherein a sign manufacturer had a patent on a sign and, once the patent had expired, tried to claim trade dress protection on the sign. The court ruled that sign, being functional (the sign had a particular way of withstanding wind), was more aptly protected by patent protection than trademark law. But that doesn't mean that a functional design can automatically get a patent.

        Plus, I'm
  • if you can patant this why can't you patent a desk layout. I'll patent the peticular setup where you have the mouse on the right of the keyboard and a monitor in the front and call it "productive arrangement A" followed by variations for multiple monitors and case locations. Then following on lessions from various software companies I won't really SELL the use of the patent..I'll lease it for a nominal monthy fee. And then if you ever take a picture of your desk I can sue you for trade secrets :D

  • Prior Art (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Enlarge Your Penis ( 781779 )
    In the UK, the Nationwide(also a mutual) already has coffee and snacks, things to keep kids occupied and anything more complicated than a simple money transfer is carried out with a customer services adviser in a relaxed setting(usually at a table)

  • Outta hand (Score:5, Funny)

    by nurb432 ( 527695 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @07:24PM (#9539742) Homepage Journal
    When do we get to hear about a patent awarded for " a method of refreshing spent oxygen in the blood stream of mammals".

  • A hundred years ago ... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by AhBeeDoi ( 686955 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @07:26PM (#9539761)
    ...somebody suggested that the USPTO be closed because everything that can be invented has been invented. It should be closed today because it's willing to grant patents on the wheel.
  • if the people at the USPTO will ever figure out that half the applications are from a "thundering herd of dumbass", who never invented anything. They just want to steal, like liability lawyers.

  • Branches (Score:3, Insightful)

    by ceswiedler ( 165311 ) * <chris@swiedler.org> on Saturday June 26, 2004 @07:33PM (#9539792)
    Washington Mutual is my bank, and I've been to one of these (in Foster City, CA). It's pretty cool. You still have to deal with tellers (at least at the one I was at) but more stuff is automated and the atmosphere is definitely better than a normal bank.

    I'm a fan of things like self-service checkout at the grocery store. I figure I can usually do what I need to do faster if I do it myself. For banks, this would be great if it means that they would be open later, or on Sundays. This bankers-hours crap is annoying.
  • That's the branch where they have money, and if you fill out some paperwork, show ID and have an account that they will accept it or give it to you. Sure, you might say that's ridiculous, or that there's a fuckload of prior art on the concept, but just because you, dear /. reader and I, a mastermind /. poster with excellent karma know that doesn't mean that those Stupid F$%^ing S(*&heads at the USPTO know that.

  • Well heck (Score:4, Funny)

    by Fizzol ( 598030 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @07:35PM (#9539804)
    I'm filing a patent for my revolutionary "TV in the Bedroom" concept!
  • only 1 of the 3 washington mutuals in my area still have the traditional teller layout. the new design feels akward to me. when it is busy there are no defined lines to wait in. plus i've already left the bank with my money still in the tray that automatically dispenses it because it was low and out of sight.
  • IIRC, Abbey National (now Abbey) did this in the UK for a time.

    There's plenty of proof of this in just these friggin Google summaries [google.com].
  • I hear someone actually patented Blue Jeans!

  • Are we surprised? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Kwil ( 53679 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @07:37PM (#9539817)
    I mean, c'mon, the USPTO makes the majority of its money these days on providing and renewing patents. It makes nothing on investigating or refusing them.

    So really, the fact that they'll patent anything under the sun should come as no real shock to anybody.

    You want to fix the USPTO? Fix how they get funded.
  • The San Francisco Chronicle reports that it may be the first time the USPTO has awarded a patent for the design of a retail store/presence.
    Great, now every franchise theme bar and restaurant is going to rush out and file for a patent.

  • Unbelievable (Score:3, Funny)

    by cubicledrone ( 681598 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @08:02PM (#9539911)
    There are greeters, tellers dressed in colorful shirts who escort customers to the kiosks, a separate cash machine, plush olive and maroon- colored chairs and sofas, and funky blueberry-colored lights hanging from the ceiling.

    NSF fees have increased to $500 coming and going, and customers will be required to provide five forms of picture ID to make a deposit. Interest on our SUPER-SOCCER-SUV-VALUE-PLUS-CD accounts is now a whopping ONE PERCENT (subject to Federal, State, Local and street-by-street taxes), and you get a free book of generic-bear-on-pastel checks!

    Free checking is now only $20 a week, but you get two free deposits!*

    *average balance of $15,000 required

    Don't forget to ask about our interest-only mortgage where we own your house until your payments quadruple! Don't forget to finance a RIDING LAWN MOWER, DUMBASS!!! MAYBE IT CAN TOW A CAMPER!!!!

    "Some people walk in, and they walk out. That's why we have a concierge there."

    NO!! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE!!!

    Sounds like a great idea. Confuse the customers, then PATENT IT.

    The strategy behind the Occasio decor is not only to make banking fun, but also to make it more efficient.

    Yeah? How about hiring more than three tellers so we don't have to order out for lunch AND dinner waiting to cash a check?

  • Latin meaning of "occasio" (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    The Latin word "occasio" also means 'pretext.'

  • What about MacDonalds then? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by batkid ( 448363 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @08:14PM (#9539962)
    If a bank branch can be patented, maybe MacDonald's can patent fast food chain stores. If you ask me, this whole patent thing is really stupid.
  • With all her newfound experience with the legal system, when she gets out of the joint she'll be in a perfect position to patent everything she did in her magazine. If you can make $500 million patenting browser plug-ins [eolas.com] just think how much you could make patenting do-it-yourself window treatments and floral arrangements.

  • Prior Art (Score:5, Interesting)

    by jafiwam ( 310805 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @08:37PM (#9540031) Homepage Journal
    It just so happens that one of my web hosting customers has a very similar layout, and has had it since before August, 2000 when they registered their domain name through me.

    They are a bank, and use electronic tellers (basically an electronic drive thru kiosk) for their tellers, cookies, coffee, lounge areas and toys.

    The financial advisors are still at normal desks.

    Having the money behind a pheumatic tube does not hurt the throughput any, and is a HUGE cost savings on insurance because there is NO MONEY a wood-be robber can grab. It's all in a locked room. Unless they have trained attack ferrets to go through the tubes... a guy with a gun is only going to get what's in the people's wallets.

    The company that was pushing the kiosks came up with the ideas for the layout.

    This bank is definately not the first one doing it, nor were they the first customers of the kiosk company.

    So there is definately prior art...

    Aside from that, the patent is stupid. Someone might make a case for an overall decor style (similar to the Aqua Mac thing, or the iMac format) but the physical placement of furniture and features of the lobby is not something that is inovative and it wasn't new when the patent was filed.
  • If you read the actual patent, the claims -- especially the one independent claim -- are so poorly written that you would probably need to sit down with a lawyer to figure out how to infringe this patent. The scope of the independent claim is so narrow, it would be hard NOT to design around it, if you wanted to open your own Wa-My like surroundings in your own home.

    The only purpose of this patent, as far as I can see, is to show off to the investment community that "hey, we're developing IP assets, our st
  • As one of the droids that installs the servers (OS/2, yay!) and teller tower workstations (XP, locked down within an inch of its life) just let me opine that the primary advantage of the new WaMu Occasio branch design is that the money is just about nowhere to be found. You hand over your cash to the teller and it disappears into a slot just like a Reno blackjack dealer. You won't be changing your mind after that. To get your withdrawl money after your transaction with the teller, you amble over to a large vault on the floor, swipe your card, enter your pin and then the cash spits out into your hands. The tellers never have any money!

    We had some clown try to stick up one of the branches here in Seattle and after he finally figured out that there just wasn't any money around to take, all he ever got was some heavy attention from the local constabulary who nabbed him down the road after he tried to hit up some other bank.

    I'm guessing that the "unrobbability" is the pantentable part of all this, but I could be wrong. What do I know -- I don't explain'em, I just install'em. And from a geeks point of view, they are clean designs. And having a safe place to stash the rugrat for ten minutes ain't bad either, lemme tellya!

  • They're not even a mutual (Score:3, Informative)

    by Animats ( 122034 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @08:53PM (#9540083) Homepage
    Washington "Mutual" isn't a mutual. It's a stock company listed on the NYSE [yahoo.com]. They haven't been depositor-owned since 1983. They just call themselves a mutual because it sounds good.

    There used to be a tax break for being a real mutual loan association, but that disappeared under Reagan, and most of the mutuals "privatized", screwing the depositors out of their equity ownership.

  • Washington Mutual is the suxx0rz... (Score:3, Informative)

    by rice_burners_suck ( 243660 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @10:55PM (#9540498)
    ....And not because of the patent, per se.

    ...one that has play areas for kids, serves coffee and popcorn, and has kiosks instead of teller windows...

    A friend of mine used to bank at Washington Mutual for a long time. One day, he strolled into the bank and saw, to his horror, that instead of a traditional bank with teller windows and whatnot, there were these retarded kiosks scattered all over the place and rotated every which way.

    The outcome of this "innovative" business practice? He immediately closed his accounts and took his money to Wells Fargo, where a bank still looks like a bank.

    I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of other people had similar responses to this change. This is mostly for psychological reasons: When you go to Disney Land, you want the experience to be exciting. On the other hand, when you go to the bank, where you store your financial assets that you work hard to earn, you want the place to be as unexciting as it can be. Excitement means the bank is unstable and is going to lose your money, leaving you in the streets. Lack of excitement shows stability, maturity, confidence, and security. I believe this is what most people want when they choose a bank. Not a bunch of weird kiosks turned every which way.

    A play area for children isn't a bad idea, because kids always get restless and start running around, causing all kinds of noise and whatnot.

    Oh yeah, and one more rant on Washington Mutual. My mother had a bank account there. One day, she deposited a bunch of checks. The bank took the money, but did not increase her accounts. No matter how much proof she produced, they refused to credit her account, claiming that what she produced was not good enough proof. In effect, the bank had stolen her money: About 300 dollars of it. She closed her accounts there and went to a different bank. Ever since that event, and more so after my friend told me about the kiosks, I have been staying as far away from Washington Mutual as I can.

  • Patent Tax Strategy (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Camel Pilot ( 78781 ) on Saturday June 26, 2004 @11:27PM (#9540595) Homepage Journal
    Just yesterday there was a WSJ (printed version) article describing a trend where high-end tax dodge specialist are patenting particular and specific tax strategies taylored for wealthy clients!

    What is good about this is that we are now entering into the ludacris stage of the current fashion of patenting everything that walks - which means reform will be close at hand - or at least I hope.

    My wife's ecommerce store [sammcgees.com] has a shopping cart that gives 5% discount if the customer just happens to be using a Mozilla browser. Maybe she should apply for a patent will she still can...

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