Amazon Got 'Photography Against A White Background' Patent Because CAFC Says Obvious Ideas Must Be Written Down
A patent is only supposed to be awarded if it's both new and non-obvious to a person skilled in the art.
Via Techdirt:
So, about a month ago, we wrote about Amazon's ridiculous new patent on "photography against a white background," which got a fair bit of attention. There were debates among photographers, patent lawyers and lots of other people with opinions about just how legitimate (or not) the patent really was (hint: it's not). However, Charles Duan, Public Knowledge's patent expert, has written up a fantastic explanation for how Amazon was able to get the patent. And the main culprit, in a twist that should surprise no one is... CAFC. Yes, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit strikes again.
The ...