patent nonsense
I can't believe that the US Patent Office is still granting really stupid patents. After all of the noise and angst surrounding such idiotic patents as one-click shopping and showing hypertext on a computer you would think that they would come to their senses.
Patents serve a valuable purpose by raising the potential rewards from innovation. But, if applied too broadly, they stifle innovation by making it a minefield of legal risk. Let's hope that the US Patent Office and their European counterparts get the balance right soon.