Sep. 15, 2005

Patent-Reform Bill Promises Changes to Transform Law

Focus Column - Intellectual Property - By Darren Franklin - Patent attorneys often hear about goofy patents that people can't believe were issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. There's a patent on a "method of exercising a cat" by shining a laser beam on a wall (U.S. Patent 5,443,036, issued in 1995). There's also a patent on a "method of swinging on a swing" by pulling alternately on one chain and then the other (U.S. Patent 6,368,227, issued in 2002).