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Amazon has officially patented the "Social Networking System"
As incredible as it sounds, the United States Patent and Trademark Office actually awarded Amazon a patent for the "Social Networking System." To make it truly ridiculous, the abstract on the patent reads as though it were succinctly describing Facebook.
Amazon's reasoning throughout the whole process has been that, since they purchased PlanetAll in 1998, and PlanetAll is often considered to be the first social network on the Internet, Amazon itself is responsible for inventing the modern social network.
Of course, the fact that PlanetAll was founded and run for two full years before Amazon acquired it doesn't seem to be important to the USPTO. And to think, we all thought it was funny when Facebook patented the News Feed.
Take a look for yourself; here's the abstract from the top of the patent.
A networked computer system provides various services for assisting users in locating, and establishing contact relationships with, other users. For example, in one embodiment, users can identify other users based on their affiliations with particular schools or other organizations. The system also provides a mechanism for a user to selectively establish contact relationships or connections with other users, and to grant permissions for such other users to view personal information of the user. The system may also include features for enabling users to identify contacts of their respective contacts. In addition, the system may automatically notify users of personal information updates made by their respective contacts.
You be the judge, did Amazon invent social networks? Will they start demanding payment from the countless social networks operating today?
Comments
7
Subscribe to commentsPraveen PremchandranJun 17th 2010 7:31AM
Let the lawsuits begin!!!
numerwanJun 17th 2010 8:51AM
Not really sure if they invented social networking on PCs... Sure as hell know that Facebook didnt, neither did myspace. Virtual Village? oh i cant remember the earliest social network
SugarDaddyJun 17th 2010 9:06AM
Not sure where they're going with this. Amazon also has a patent on product reviews. But I haven't seen them crush every other online retailer's product reviews section. Amazon does have one of the best, if not the best, review systems on any major online retailer. Being able to comment on others' reviews is an excellent idea.
But ya, who knows what they want to do with this.
MpmcfarlaneJun 17th 2010 12:32PM
Seems like Amazon could basically rule about half of the internet. (with Google ruling the other half)
BenJun 17th 2010 1:51PM
I feel like tech patents are like Nukes in the 70's, the big guys have them, a lot of them. But they're more of a deterrent, to be used if they feel TOO threatened.
mr.joolnoretJun 18th 2010 4:40AM
Extremely vague patents are bullshit, this is like letting an author patent an entire genre of books, Madness! It violates all logical intrinsic rights and destroys innovation. Imagine only one author to write all Sci Fi!
Hello! That's what our judges are letting these companies do to digital things. This is a sign that they are either corrupt or incompetent. HTML is not magic, it is like words in a book or construction blueprints on a building. We don't let people patent the idea of a "door" or "window" but they can patent a specific door or window. Basic obvious structures, ideas, and designs are too simple to patent. Why does this not apply to digital things?
Oh right it does, our judges are just trash.
soulhunterJul 10th 2010 1:09AM
Great!
I'm going to patent blogs! why not? That would be pretty much the same!
That being said, today's world is not the world for the innovation, when you start working on something, sooner or later, you will hit at something that someone else patented, and even if they aren't actually using the patent they can sue you! yes, they just have the patent, they do *not* use it on any product, and they have the rights over it. In my opinion, they should require you to *actually* use the patent after a certain period of time (1 or 2 years), or you will have it revoked.
Also, if the idea your are trying to patent is already widespread, you shouldn't be able to patent it!