Thought the peanut butter sandwich patent was a joke? That one doesn’t even register a chuckle compared to a patent recently granted to Amazon.com. The e-commerce giant now can claim a legal monopoly on the process of photographing people and things against a white backdrop.

The patent, issued by the US Patent and Trademark Office, is making some folks in the photography community do a double-take. Amazon’s patent, called Studio Arrangement, details a specific arrangement of elements in a photography studio that the company believes helps foster the production of the most aesthetically pleasing images.



  1. bobbo, given the lag time, Hooman Civilization has already killed itself off with co2 poisoning. The Earth will continue, still an open question as to with or without us. We had our chance, Big Brains and all says:

    “Getting a Patent” really is a bit misleading. Its only a screen that provides proof of “first use.” Anyone else can do the same thing. Conflict arises only when the original patent holder sues the conflicting user. THEN, settlement failing, you go to court and the first thing argued/established is whether or not the Patent is Valid. Many patents fail at that point which is why many patent holders don’t sue.

    Lots of good commentary about the net effect of patents/intellectual property. Seems there are pros and cons to any system of regulation we choose.

    Down right frustrating.

  2. norman says:

    cart machine.. is a two wheel machine.. four legs bad two good.. hehhe

    to card.. as in whool and sheep and carding , somtink else.. ehhe

    i’s sleeping in the longgrass in summer of 1956 and din’t know remote machine was worked on dog whistle sound.. ahhh

    • Tim says:

      “”1956 and din’t know remote machine was worked on dog whistle sound

      While I usually have trouble ascertaining most of your banter, that one is decipherable to me —

      Yes, the old ‘remote control tv clickers’ were actually a spring-loaded hammer that hit an ultrasonic tuning fork for operating tv controls remotely…

      I’m inspired… I’m going to go out and get an old Admiral 4-channel clicker and see if I can make the cop’s dog bit him or, at least, chase his own tail in an embarrasing fashion.

      • bobbo, the pragmatic existential evangelical anti-theist says:

        That is interesting. Well done Timmy. My first remote was hard wired. A tuning fork you say? My, my, that is primitive…. right out of Barney Rubble. Sure there wasn’t a pterodactyl tied up inside that remote?

    • norman says:

      seems first remote controll 1956 may not contain battery… obvious resons.. so wan make dog whiltle sound with box register electronic machine in home. but i was 11 months old and laying in long grass pluss my state din’t have such machine.. but i remember beans..

      my mum in 1956 was 27yrs old and had four and a half kids and lived in burbs, she got the semi detatched home because her dad in law worked for city council in some paper compacity. his other sons had gotten apprenticeship but my day only was trained to build barrack for baltic refugee kial… well remember toilet systern.. we called the water closet under the roof atic containere stop-cock thingy…

      but all i want to say i was 11 months old in summer of 1956 and remember sleeping in afternoon grass and me mam went and got some small bean can , and we had white bread on toast and may oldest sister had to have me on her lap because me mum was out of breath and seven month pregent weith woot turned out to be me bro… think she borrow money from childhood mate down the st. for to buy the beans

      ahhh 1956 dog whiltle tv controll how primative

      • bobbo, the pragmatic existential evangelical anti-theist says:

        My dad used me as the tv remote. Easy to program, powered by beans. I do wish he had patented the process.

        I coulda been rolling in beans by now!!!!

      • Tim says:

        “”well remember toilet systern.. we called the water closet under the roof atic containere stop-cock thingy…

        Well, it’s better than a ‘thunder-mug’ but I’d still preferre a privy {outhouse}, being environmentally concious, and all — Not only do I not shit in my water supply, but I can use the compost to make explosives 2 months later…

        • norman says:

          Divis flats centre belfast on sixth floor the had ‘fertilizedr’ and sugger. heheh

      • Tim says:

        “”the water closet

        invented by John Crapper. Thus we have ‘the jon’ and ‘going to take a crap’. True story, that.

        • bobbo, the pragmatic existential evangelical anti-theist says:

          Yes, and the Earl of Sandwich created a slice of bread because there was no toilet paper. Ipso Dipsit BECAUSE there were no toilets.

          He made people eat shit sandwiches when discussing AGW over cards.

          At night….. before light bulbs so no one ever had any ideas. Only the Bible.

          • Tim says:

            We had fire from grass, wood, nikki’s shit; Whatever would burn… My improvement is to place an old color tv *shadow mask* on top of your fire to make it burn smoke free like a kearosene wick does fluid… I know my demonstrations are not popular… I’ve never courted popularity… Only how to make heat without smoke getting in my eyes.

  3. norman says:

    Tony eathon on Pathe new cinima 1938 me dad was 17yrs old and joing up… six yrs later he at kiel canal when on sinco de mayo , beeb say
    ‘montgomry etc gitmo lowlands etc free… (russian in berlin since 1st) me dady back in hometown months before russian leave bolmho´m.. denmark were i live last 40yrs..

    ahhhh fukk it all arrest both Gerry Adams and that fukk irish minister former fro defence..

    too auld for this shyte

    • Tim says:

      Norman, I have spent many clock-cycles to determine that this is just for you::

      http://youtube.com/watch?v=5rKYL0tW-Ek
      http://youtube.com/watch?v=gaRtlMp-hMU

    • Tim says:

      “”sinco de mayo

      racist. you probably detest mexican food, don’t you?

      • norman says:

        un leden bread is good in ghipatti and toco
        2–3 December 1984 at the Union Carbide India

        • Tim says:

          I managed to ascertain that… see above…

          • norman says:

            s’rry tim man. s’rry drunk southern paddy ‘ere.. don’t mind me

          • Tim says:

            “”s’rry drunk southern paddy ‘ere

            No, unthu… I’m going for my third six pack here… you don’t get off that easily.

        • Tim says:

          Who killed more Indians than Custer????

          Union Carbide.

          • norman says:

            actually custer kill more self.. he was following french generall instrux.. ‘ye can loose every battle and yet win war’ custor is much maligned general

          • norman says:

            seen usa passport in 1976,, ‘may visit all lands except Cuba’ seen french passport in 1989 . me thinks north africa was simular but they din’t say..

            funny how colony 1776 and paris 1789 are so disconected in anglo lands

            racist

          • bobbo, the pragmatic existential evangelical anti-theist says:

            Custer was an asshat like most if not all generals. I think the notion of losing battles and winning wars is very … “Eastern” in its outlook. I know Ho said as much, a contemporary of Mao who could have said it. But I think Stalin “could have” said it too: give up/lose land to gain ultimate victory.

            Custer, absent the spirit of what you claim, is famous for saying: “There are not enough Indians in the world to defeat the Seventh Cavalry.” ….//// although to be fair, that is so asstarded to have been made up after the fact? The joke I remember from grade school is: “Where did all those Indians come from?”

            War. We still “think” that way. Its like dominion.

        • norman says:

          i’m racist agains silly kids games.. wonder why persons play with such non real politic

          why link to some silly video game. .why would anybody do such, when real world, iffn there is such, iffn we persons on planet now need realness why waste time wif sillyness

          • norman says:

            excuse me it is two in the morning..

            wish all the world would go away…

            planet is being nuked in more ways then one and got no time for sectarianism

          • Tim says:

            “”excuse me it is two in the morning..

            Yea, I dropped the game to talk to you newfags because it is too frustrating, as is. I *think* there is a man-in-the-middle injecting bad files into the free download

            American corporations {xbox whatever} would not like people to see the beauty of this game on old hardware especially since it is a free giveaway… Now, consoles are 15 years behind; and, at $800, they can’t afford for even a few people to see someone running a ten-year-old pc blowing their shit out of the water.

    • Don't Go There says:

      Virus laden site??

      • Tim says:

        I’m not running any active virus scanner or anything; So I didn’t have a problem with it.

        I can see how if one is not running Mozilla’s noscript then the site is quite ‘busy’ doing who-knows-what.

  4. ECA says:

    THIS lighting system has been used for MANY MANY MANY years…over 100, and probably almost 200..years that is..

    Once you started artificial lighting for cameras, you got MAJOR shadows..Even Direct lighting caused problems..
    TV and movies REALLY SHOW IT..check out a few of the 1930 era movies..LOOK for shadows..
    Then look at the game shows…look at the back section..BACK lighting has been around since STAGE production, and wondering how to get rid of the Light, yes the LIGHT…it caused the shadow.
    DOWN lighting Causes shadows on the floor, that can STRETCH for miles.. Also lighting causes HEAT…TONS of it..ask any actor..

  5. orchidcup says:

    We think we have solved the mystery of creation. Maybe we should patent the universe and charge everyone royalties for their existence.

    — Stephen Hawking

    The quality of American patents has been deteriorating for years; they are increasingly issued for products and processes that are not truly innovative – things like the queuing system for Netflix, which was patented in 2003. Yes, it makes renting movies a snap, but was it really a breakthrough deserving patent protection?

    — Robert Pozen

  6. Cmoser says:

    They heard Rembrandt made a lot of money as a portrait artist painting properly illuminated subjects. They want to sue his estate.

  7. Never bemoan innovation
    Who knows this can be the next Apple computer – with something bigger than the iPhone even
    Who knows ?
    Keep an open mind always

  8. Peppeddu says:

    Since we are on the subject of pure patent trolling…
    Has anyone patented the wheel yet?

    Come on, whoever’s gonna get it first is gonna get rich… really rich.


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