You know those crazyass ideas that hit you just as you’re waking up, then won’t go away? Well, this is one of them.
The idea is this: Patent the use of Cease and Desist Letters.
Of course, it’ll need to be worded in that glorious language used by Patent Applications everywhere. Something like this, maybe:
- “A communication, electronic or physical, whereby the recipient is instructed to cease production, manufacture or publication of an existing work due to specified Patent infringements……”
And so it goes on. And on. And on. Of course, there’s that small matter of Prior Art, but that’s never stopped the US Patent Office granting a patent before, has it?
This would mean all of those unscrupuluous lawyers and Patent holding companies would have to pay a license fee to us to be able to send out letters claiming that their patents have been infringed. Say, a $150,000 license per infringed patent should do it.
This would stop the myriad of claims against small companies in their tracks, and make them pause (at least, for a while), against larger patent infringements. This would mean fewer little companies closing down due to strong-arm tactics by the big guys and no more mailshot-style Cease and Desist letters to an entire area.
Genius.
We could follow this up with a Patent for sending letters accusing the recipient of illegally downloading music. We’d be making the world a better place by using the lawyer’s own tactics against them.
Anyone with me?