Ripped directly from slashdot: "In another brilliant move by the well loved U.S. Patent and Trademark Office a patent (6,368,227) has been granted to a Mr. Steven Olson for inventing the method of swinging sideways on a swing. The patent even lays claim to "inducing a component of forward and back motion into the swinging motion, resulting in a swinging path that is generally shaped as an oval." I claim prior art, but perhaps I am one of the few fortunate ones who enjoyed this method of swinging long before its 'invention' by Mr. Steven Olson. " My favorite line from the patent : "The user may even choose to produce a Tarzan-type yell while swinging in the manner described, which more accurately replicates swinging on vines in a dense jungle forest. Actual jungle forestry is not required."

I attributed the rash of technology-based patents handed out recently by the USPTO to people who did not know about technology making decisions that they were not qualified to make.

Patent 6,368,227 seems to indicate, however, that I should not have written off to ignorance what I could to stupidity. Good for Mr. Olson--I hope someone with pull uses this to underscore just how ridiculous the concept of intellectual property has become.

Related Posts