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Patents

by Mike Masnick

Fri, Sep 28th 2012 5:20am


Filed Under:
obviousness, patents, social media

Companies:
godaddy


GoDaddy Receives Patent On 'Announcing A Domain Name Registration On A Social Website'

from the no-joke dept

Another day, another crazy patent. DomainNameWire has the story that GoDaddy has successfully received a patent on "Announcing a domain name registration on a social website." The patent, 8,276,057, was filed back in September of 2009. Take a look at the claims for yourself to understand exactly what's being claimed, but reading through them, I'm at a complete loss as to how this is considered worthy of a patent. It has been common practice that after you do something online that options be presented to allow that action to be posted to a social networking site. It's done so often that I actually find it kind of annoying these days. But basically any programmer could implement variations on that, and nothing in what GoDaddy describes appears to be anything unique or special or out of the ordinary. Thankfully, with StackExchange's new prior art crowdsourcing effort, folks are already finding prior art. Unfortunately, that effort is supposed to be for patent applications... and this patent has already been approved for reasons that defy any logic.
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  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Sep 28th, 2012 @ 5:53am

    I don't understand why you'd even need to find prior art is even relevant... This patent is obviously bogus and idiotic from every way you look at it.

    This is basically 'Announce X *on the internet*'.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Not That Chris (profile), Sep 28th, 2012 @ 5:55am

    Holy Crap

    Really? They must hire some "special" folk at the patent office if they granted a patent on "announcing x on social medium y." I'd have to assume something like wedding announcements in a newspaper would be prior art, but maybe not since they're not domain name registrations and not "on the internet." Totally different, I guess.

    Good grief.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Sep 28th, 2012 @ 6:09am

    If it's on the internet, it must be new and never before done AMAZING TECHNOLOGY advancement.

    This is a red letter day. Hazzar

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Keroberos (profile), Sep 28th, 2012 @ 6:11am

    ...for reasons that defy any logic.
    It's perfectly logical. The patent office collects fees for patent applications. If they rejected all the bogus and retarded patent applications, people would eventually stop filing them. Then the amount of fees they could collect would drop.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Berenerd (profile), Sep 28th, 2012 @ 6:11am

    So when my company re-releases it's new updated website, I can't announce it on our Facebook and Twitter feeds? What are they gonna do? sue me? I would like to see them try.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      bob, Sep 28th, 2012 @ 7:33am

      Re:

      not if you re-release your site, but if you register a new domain. sadly, I an't bring myself to read through the whole thing, but I imagine it might have something to do specifically with auto-announcing the new domain as part of the registration process, to make it easier to 'spread the word'. anyway, that's the only way it makes sense to me, but it's still not novel enough for a patent.

      [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Mike42 (profile), Sep 28th, 2012 @ 7:43am

        Re: Re:

        I guess you missed the memo. Legally speaking, "novel" means "no obvious prior art." It's a common mistake, and one that gives the US patent system more credibility than it deserves.

        [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, Sep 28th, 2012 @ 10:30am

        Re: Re:

        Good job bob, lucid and everything. My faith in humanity is restored for a few seconds.

        [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Cory of PC (profile), Sep 28th, 2012 @ 2:27pm

        Re: Re:

        "I an't bring myself to read through the whole thing..."

        1) Well that explains a lot... a LOT, of what your comments are about.

        2) Don't you have an spell checking on your computer? Your English is more broken than my speaking.

        [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      latin angel (profile), Sep 28th, 2012 @ 7:38am

      Re:

      That's not the problem...

      The problem is that they have more deep pockets than the average company.

      [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Capt ICE Enforecer, Sep 28th, 2012 @ 6:20am

    Absolutely BRILLIANT. I have waited my whole life for someone to create this. I feel like I can now die a happy man. Wonder when they will start implimenting this.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Sep 28th, 2012 @ 6:21am

    Oh ya, well I already have a patent that covers your patent GoDaddy. It's a patent for "using an electronic to announce something", so you owe me big bucks for all the people you shake down with your patent!

    Oh and I also patented a few other things you probably violated to GoDaddy, like computers that run off of electricity!

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Capt ICE Enforecer, Sep 28th, 2012 @ 6:22am

    Absolutely BRILLIANT. I have waited my whole life for someone to create this. I feel like I can now die a happy man. THANK YOU GO DADDY

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Dave Xanatos, Sep 28th, 2012 @ 6:26am

    I intended to write something clever here, but my brain just exploded.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Michael, Sep 28th, 2012 @ 6:38am

    *sigh* This used to be such a great nation. Where did we go wrong?

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, Sep 28th, 2012 @ 7:15am

      Re:

      When we took a left at the third stoplight instead of going straight and somehow ended up in the middle of World War 2 instead of the pizzaria at the corner of Main Street.

      [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Gwiz (profile), Sep 28th, 2012 @ 8:28am

        Re: Re:

        When we took a left at the third stoplight...

        Actually, I think we should have made a left toin at Albukoykee.

        [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          The eejit (profile), Sep 28th, 2012 @ 10:46am

          Re: Re: Re:

          "You, sir, have found the genie of the lamp - I will now grant you three wishes."

          "GOGOGO, DOWNDOWNDOWN, MINEMINEMINE!!!!"

          [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Anonymous Coward, Sep 28th, 2012 @ 11:19am

            Re: Re: Re: Re:

            My personal favorite was the episode with the Abominable Snowman.
            "Oh George, you were naughty to pretend you was a bunny rabbit. I will punish you good. Bad ol' George."

            Probably because my name is George. Gosh it's hot. ;)

            [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Titania Bonham-Smythe (profile), Sep 28th, 2012 @ 6:52am

    In my innocence I thought I would pop over to the US patent office website and say "hey guys, this was a silly patent, you shouldn't have issued it" but discovered a bureaucratic institution of infinite complexity. I'd rather spend the afternoon restocking the cat muzzles in the gift shop.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Sep 28th, 2012 @ 6:58am

    Perhaps we should start boycotting companies who file for ridiculous patents. Maybe that would get the message across that we're tired of them abusing the system.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      The eejit (profile), Sep 28th, 2012 @ 7:10am

      Re:

      Well, in that case, we might as well just kill ourselves, as most tech companies have ridiculous patents on file.

      [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, Sep 28th, 2012 @ 9:36am

      Re:

      Boycotts schmoycotts. If we won't boycott things that rob us of civil rights, that impose monopoly pricing on us, that leave only a packaged/bundled selection of tripe pouring into our televisions, and a hundred other causes, why on earth would people boycott over *this* ?

      [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Spaceman Spiff (profile), Sep 28th, 2012 @ 7:13am

    Another good reason

    Why the USPTO should be disbanded, all management and staff fired, and a new organization started with some SANE managers who know what-the-fuck-is-up and can hire people who are similarly aware! Ok. That will never happen, but firing management is a start...

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Sep 28th, 2012 @ 7:26am

    Go to GoDaddy and leave them a message telling them how stupid it is and you are ready to be sued. This guy is stupidly rich, you know the guys who get rich and aren't smart. Nothing like alienating your company.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Sep 28th, 2012 @ 7:28am

    I stopped using GoDaddy for anything after they got back door hacked in 2007 and I haven't seen it get fixed. You want to find stuff on your site you didn't put there, host at GoDaddy.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Sep 28th, 2012 @ 8:32am

    If you are serious about trying to understand why this patent issued, I suggest you start with its file wrapper, available from the USPTO, and study its prosecution history starting with the application being filed and ending with the issuance of a patent. Until this is done the most that can be said is that the comments here are nothing more than speculation.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    nospacesorspecialcharacters (profile), Sep 28th, 2012 @ 9:04am

    Pham Award Nominee!

    Excellent! Now I know I can patent my very own idea of announcing on a blog-site that I've just made a comment, and it will be approved.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Sep 28th, 2012 @ 10:25am

    I am patenting posting a description and image of my dinner on a social media site.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Pending Patent, Sep 28th, 2012 @ 4:50pm

    There is a process for patent review called "reexamination" where anyone, even one who has no rights in the patent, can challenge the validity of the patent. Perhaps a concerted effort by a concerned community may convince the Patent board to revoke the patent.

    For your interest:
    See Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP) 2209 and 2204.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    davnel, Sep 30th, 2012 @ 9:39am

    Follow the money.

    First, what does it cost to apply for a patent, and what do the attorneys cost? Second, is there any additional cost for approval and/or publication? Third, how much is spent during the "search" phase (aparently a joke in itself)?
    Patents have to be a very lucrative racket, even at the application end. Also, how much of that money goes to the USPTO, ie, how are they funded?

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]


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