[bhhaskin]

This is a good example of why patent law is broken. I can understand patenting manufacturing process or designs, but you shouldn't be able to patent and idea such as an online shopping cart or a certain way to film something.

[none_for_me_thx]

It seems that this is the whole point of patent law. It's a subsidy to people with access to money and power. That it may be used to some effect by smaller interests is a "happy" by-product of the scheme.

Once you grant that ideas are property and should be protected in the same way, it seems to me that this is the inevitable result.