Yahoo! Innovates! Nothing of Interest!

Yahoo complained about patent trolls in the past, but it seems to have just been caught red-handed as it tried to throw wood in that very same fire. [via digitalmajority.org]

The Yahoo patent revolves around the concept of "smart" drag-and-drop commands, which show users good places to move an object. The problem, according to Peer to Patent reviewers, is that there are several instances of prior art, among them Apple's Mail and Finder applications, along with Microsoft's Excel and Visio. In the case of the latter two, points are generated on a diagram as users drag out lines; this may or may not be enough to challenge Yahoo, as the patent mentions close proximity to the drag source.

This ought to be another good example where those who complain about the broken system are nothing short of hypocrites. These are crocodile tears. There exists a similar situation where software 'piracy' (copyright infringement actually) is involved. Those who complain about it often rely on it a great deal, by their own admission. ⬆

Related articles:

1. Flickr Patenting "Interestingness"

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2. Yahoo! claims! it! invented! Web! 2!

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