As interesting as this is from a physics point-of-view, this is not a physics or math thread. It belongs in the Business* forum, and so I am moving it!

Way to kill the thread! Nobody reads the business section. haha! :)

Quote: Original post by billy_zelsnack
Way to kill the thread! Nobody reads the business section. haha! :)

Well, on a positive note, since there are very few posts in this section, threads won't be scrolled off into oblivion (as quickly happens in the lounge).

Patent System in Disarray article on Information Week.

One of the ideas for improvement in the article is to open up third-party examination and prior art submission before the patent is issued (sounds like a good idea to me [wink]).

This article (and previous posts on this forum) sparked an interesting idea: since patent claims are based on boolean algebra (and effectively a specialized "patent" grammar/language), I wonder if it's possible for someone to exploit the system so that the patent claims become generative, broadly extending the scope of the claims (perhaps via using nested and complex Markush claims). This is something a clever programmer might exploit (in the same way the C/C++ preprocessor was exploited to implement Generative Programming).

NTP vs. RIM, latest on Tom's Hardware.