Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
If you have an email ending in @hotmail.com, @live.com or @outlook.com (or any other Microsoft-related domain), please consider changing it to another email provider; Microsoft decided to instantly block the server's IP, so emails can't be sent to these addresses.
If you use an @yahoo.com email or any related Yahoo services, they have blocked us also due to "user complaints"
-UE
If you use an @yahoo.com email or any related Yahoo services, they have blocked us also due to "user complaints"
-UE
The US patent system
This patent on things such as online video should have never happened
Seriously, US, what the fuck? I wonder how long it will be before other countries just outright refuse to recognize patents in the US? Because at this rate it's the only thing that will make the god damned idiots go, "Hmm... Maybe we should change our system?"
Seriously, US, what the fuck? I wonder how long it will be before other countries just outright refuse to recognize patents in the US? Because at this rate it's the only thing that will make the god damned idiots go, "Hmm... Maybe we should change our system?"
Comments
US patent law is pretty bad.
That said, I think our trademark law says that if you don't protect your trademark, you lose it. I dunno if patent law works the same, but if it does, this asshole is out of luck.
Protecting your trademark is so loosely defined, it's not exactly hard.
Heck, if you'd trademarked a character's name (Like say, Hasbro tradmarking a Transformer's name), using it somewhere (like in a dialogue, once, in a story he does not appear in, on another toy's packaging) counts as using your trademark...
On the OP... I almost want to shake this guy's hand and salute him.
Yeah, but it's not just using it. You have to actively prevent other people from using it.
Maybe I don't mind x company mentioning y character. So why should that mean that I can't protect y from z company making it into some sort of feces fetishizing character that ends up hurting my works due to people connecting the two?
I think it has to get out-of-hand before it takes effect. I.e. if another company had a major character in the same genre with the same name for awhile without you acting on it.
Or is it that companies can't copyright, say, a hyperactive kid named Bob?
A hyperactive kid named bob could reasonably be considered a coincidence. But if your crime drama features a mob boss named Tony Soprano (beyond just a quick jokey reference), then HBO's going to send you a cease and desist.