[Tfug] Domain names

[Robert Hunter]

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On Sun, Jan 27, 2008 at 10:39:21AM -0700, johngalt1 wrote:
> Or how about reserving a concept not accomplished or fully
> realized? (US Patents, esp software patents) Then one is
> able to parasitically sue the people who made the idea work?

Another twisted variation on that theme is the patenting of human
genes.  Read on, if you want to develop a new level of disgust for the
US patent system...

The travesty of patenting human genes is that such patents frequently
fail to meet the criteria of novelty and usefulness.  E.g., a bio-tech
company will identify a segment of human DNA as a "gene", but will
have no understanding of what its biological function is.  Betting on
the possibility that someday the gene will prove useful in some manner
( e.g., pharmaceutical$ ), these folks will submit a patent for the
gene with a contrived purpose, such as using the sequence to
identify that particular segment of the human genome.  That would be
analogous in software to patenting an executable program for the sake
of being able to do a byte comparisons with other executables, thusly
to identify copies.  As far as I know, the US is the only country which
accepts these ludicrous patents.

- -- 
Rob


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