Apparently even ringtones are patented

Ringtones are patented? Seriously? We haven't been able to dig up the patent in question, but apparently both Siemens and Sony Ericsson have quietly settled lawsuits filed against them by an inventor who claims to have patented the process by which cellphones play music instead of just a regular ring. Seems like the cellphone companies could argue that a simple ring itself is a form of music — but then again, anything that can be used against our old friend Crazy Frog can't be all evil.

[Via TechDirt]

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

God kill that frog now. PLEEASE

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I don't know anyone personally who uses a musical ringtone, so I only ever hear them when I'm on public transport or other places crowded with strangers. But that is bad enough. If I ever met the guy who made it happen I would not have pleasant words to share with him.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

lol a bit of irony is that they have a crazy frog ad on thier site :D ------>

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I'm going to patent the dirty look I give people whose annoying cell phones ring in restaurants and movie theaters.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I'm going to patent the dirty look I give people whose annoying cell phones ring in restaurants and movie theaters.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Crazy Frog is my idol!!! I'm singing like Frog! It's my brother or sister:)

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

This thing has been irritating me for months. I can't put on the TV without seeing it's ugly head.
In the name of European culture I would like to apologize to our American friends for unleashing this disease on you.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

The patent # is 6,449,359. You can see it here http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6,449,359.WKU.&OS=PN/6,449,359&RS=PN/6,449,359

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Ding ding ding ding dum dum do doooo wram wram wram wram wram wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Crazy Frog is a sign of the impending apocalypse.

Musical ringtones, however, are not all bad. Especially when they're something other than hip-hop's current flavor-of-the-month. I for one certainly enjoyed the Motorola V300 / Walmart.com mp3 goodness in finding some great and obscure ringtones.

It seems pretty ridiculous to me that someone could possibly patent playing music as a ringtone. Wonder if he's got the patent for having music video ringtones play on the outside screen of clamshell phones yet...

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Does anyone else find the image of that frog and his, um....wang, disturbing?

How the hell has this thing become so popular?

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Ahh, the sweet irony. Lot of those mobile phone makers were lobbying for EU patents some time ago.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

A must read - "Mobile patents war shifts to email"

Major IP landgrab
By Wireless Watch

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/11/29/mobile_email_patents_war/page2.html