Actually, the patent isn't for emoticons themselves. It's for substituting emoticons with images when emoticons are seen in text.
There may not be so much prior art on that, which would suck. Frankly, this is proof that the patent system is being used to stifle innovation. On 7/24/05, Vivec <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > "ZDNet UK reports on [1]criticism of Microsoft's attempt to patent the > creation of custom emoticons. 'I would have expected to see something > like this suggested by one of our more immature community members as a > joke on Slashdot,' quipped Mark Taylor of the Open Source Consortium. > 'We now appear to be living in a world where even the most > [2]laughable paranoid fantasies about commercially controlling simple > social concepts are being outdone in the real world by well-funded > armies of lawyers on behalf of some of the most powerful companies on > the planet.'" > > I mean..WTF!?? > > Are the people in the US Patent office STUPID!? They should all be > fired or banned from having anything to do with technology or software > patents! > > THey NEED to hire new staff! > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Purchase Homesite Plus with Dreamweaver from House of Fusion, a Macromedia Authorized Affiliate and support the CF community. http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=55 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:166102 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
