Look to my coming on the first light of the fifth day. At dawn, look to th....Hey what are those guys doing there.

The naming of a similar device with a similar name is exactly what those laws are trying to stop.

If had been a completely different type of phone they probably would have gotten away with it with no complaint from RIM.
But the phone is very similar designed to infiltrate a similar market and almost the exact same name.

That's the definition of infringement, or at least the spirit.

I hope they more talking about the younger generation of WoW players. I am sure much of the staff of engadget plays WoW, as do over 7 million people. I somehow doubt that even half that is unemployed and living in their parents basement.

Though there are far to many addicts at that game, makes everquest look like pot.
Oh and I hold down a excellent Job, live 5000km from my parents (though it is a basement apt :D).

All the PCT does is allow you to file 1 application for many different countries at once.
It's not a standard law by any means, enforcement and laws vary from country to country.

For example in the Canada Patent Act

(8) No patent shall be granted for any mere scientific principle or abstract theorem.
[R.S., 1985, c. P-4, s. 27; R.S., 1985, c. 33 (3rd Supp.), s. 8; 1993, c. 15, s. 31, c. 44, s. 192.]

Invention must not be obvious
28.3 The subject-matter defined by a claim in an application for a patent in Canada must be subject-matter that would not have been obvious on the claim date to a person skilled in the art or science to which it pertains, having regard to
(a) information disclosed more than one year before the filing date by the applicant, or by a person who obtained knowledge, directly or indirectly, from the applicant in such a manner that the information became available to the public in Canada or elsewhere; and
(b) information disclosed before the claim date by a person not mentioned in paragraph (a) in such a manner that the information became available to the public in Canada or elsewhere.
[1993, c. 15, s. 33.]


While the USPTO may have similar rules in effect they seem to rarely if ever enforce them at the time of granting the patent. Which is why these patent lawsuits have pretty much become jokes. USPTO's grant processes have made it a lazy man's paradise in the states. Come up with a vague, fairly obvious, but complex looking technique. Get Patent. Let somebody else come up with the same thing. Sue the pants of them if they get rich.

I may not quite understand US Patent law (but then what logical person does), but can this really apply to google? There is a significant amount of billing talk in there. Last time I used google video it was free, unless that has changed as well :)
I could see iTunes being in violation of this, but I am not sure if you have to watch ads before the video with iTunes.

No offense to all you Americans, but your patent law blows goats :D

So I am not a US resident, but was wondering if I could win with a US address?
Cause I spend 30% of time there :)

I need a digital camera, I think I am one of the mighty few IT geeks without one :(

God this would be nice, gives me an excuse to pick up gears of war :)

No please, take it seriously.
If people do not take the internet seriously where will I get half of my entertainment while I am at work?

And speaking as a what I would like to think is an intelligent representation of Canada. I think I can take the joke in the post as just that, I mean most of the Canadians I know make fun of the dismal state our currency used to be in.

If you can't laugh at yourself just give up, cause you obviously have no sense of humor :)

HD DVD Drive, Extra Controller and a Headset.