GoDaddy Receives Patent On 'Announcing A Domain Name Registration On A Social Website'

from the no-joke dept

Fri, Sep 28th 2012 5:20am — Mike Masnick

Another day, another crazy patent. DomainNameWire has the story that GoDaddy has successfully received a patent on "Announcing a domain name registration on a social website." The patent, 8,276,057, was filed back in September of 2009. Take a look at the claims for yourself to understand exactly what's being claimed, but reading through them, I'm at a complete loss as to how this is considered worthy of a patent. It has been common practice that after you do something online that options be presented to allow that action to be posted to a social networking site. It's done so often that I actually find it kind of annoying these days. But basically any programmer could implement variations on that, and nothing in what GoDaddy describes appears to be anything unique or special or out of the ordinary. Thankfully, with StackExchange's new prior art crowdsourcing effort, folks are already finding prior art. Unfortunately, that effort is supposed to be for patent applications... and this patent has already been approved for reasons that defy any logic.

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Filed Under: obviousness, patents, social media
Companies: godaddy

36 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 28 Sep 2012 @ 5:53am

I don't understand why you'd even need to find prior art is even relevant... This patent is obviously bogus and idiotic from every way you look at it.

This is basically 'Announce X *on the internet*'.
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Not That Chris (profile), 28 Sep 2012 @ 5:55am

Holy Crap
Really? They must hire some "special" folk at the patent office if they granted a patent on "announcing x on social medium y." I'd have to assume something like wedding announcements in a newspaper would be prior art, but maybe not since they're not domain name registrations and not "on the internet." Totally different, I guess.

Good grief.
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Sep 2012 @ 6:09am

If it's on the internet, it must be new and never before done AMAZING TECHNOLOGY advancement.

This is a red letter day. Hazzar
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Keroberos (profile), 28 Sep 2012 @ 6:11am

...for reasons that defy any logic.
It's perfectly logical. The patent office collects fees for patent applications. If they rejected all the bogus and retarded patent applications, people would eventually stop filing them. Then the amount of fees they could collect would drop.
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- Anonymous Coward, 28 Sep 2012 @ 6:18am
  
  Re:
  Also it creates jobs for patent lawyers, and allow them to exhort money for license fees and legal actions.
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Berenerd (profile), 28 Sep 2012 @ 6:11am

So when my company re-releases it's new updated website, I can't announce it on our Facebook and Twitter feeds? What are they gonna do? sue me? I would like to see them try.
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- bob, 28 Sep 2012 @ 7:33am
  
  Re:
  not if you re-release your site, but if you register a new domain. sadly, I an't bring myself to read through the whole thing, but I imagine it might have something to do specifically with auto-announcing the new domain as part of the registration process, to make it easier to 'spread the word'. anyway, that's the only way it makes sense to me, but it's still not novel enough for a patent.
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  - Mike42 (profile), 28 Sep 2012 @ 7:43am
    
    Re: Re:
    I guess you missed the memo. Legally speaking, "novel" means "no obvious prior art." It's a common mistake, and one that gives the US patent system more credibility than it deserves.
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  - Anonymous Coward, 28 Sep 2012 @ 10:30am
    
    Re: Re:
    Good job bob, lucid and everything. My faith in humanity is restored for a few seconds.
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  - Cory of PC (profile), 28 Sep 2012 @ 2:27pm
    
    Re: Re:
    "I an't bring myself to read through the whole thing..."
    
    1) Well that explains a lot... a LOT, of what your comments are about.
    
    2) Don't you have an spell checking on your computer? Your English is more broken than my speaking.
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- latin angel (profile), 28 Sep 2012 @ 7:38am
  
  Re:
  That's not the problem...
  
  The problem is that they have more deep pockets than the average company.
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Capt ICE Enforecer, 28 Sep 2012 @ 6:20am

Absolutely BRILLIANT. I have waited my whole life for someone to create this. I feel like I can now die a happy man. Wonder when they will start implimenting this.
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Sep 2012 @ 6:21am

Oh ya, well I already have a patent that covers your patent GoDaddy. It's a patent for "using an electronic to announce something", so you owe me big bucks for all the people you shake down with your patent!

Oh and I also patented a few other things you probably violated to GoDaddy, like computers that run off of electricity!
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Capt ICE Enforecer, 28 Sep 2012 @ 6:22am

Absolutely BRILLIANT. I have waited my whole life for someone to create this. I feel like I can now die a happy man. THANK YOU GO DADDY
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Dave Xanatos, 28 Sep 2012 @ 6:26am

I intended to write something clever here, but my brain just exploded.
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Michael, 28 Sep 2012 @ 6:38am

*sigh* This used to be such a great nation. Where did we go wrong?
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- Anonymous Coward, 28 Sep 2012 @ 7:15am
  
  Re:
  When we took a left at the third stoplight instead of going straight and somehow ended up in the middle of World War 2 instead of the pizzaria at the corner of Main Street.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Gwiz (profile), 28 Sep 2012 @ 8:28am
    
    Re: Re:
    When we took a left at the third stoplight...
    
    Actually, I think we should have made a left toin at Albukoykee.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - The eejit (profile), 28 Sep 2012 @ 10:46am
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      "You, sir, have found the genie of the lamp - I will now grant you three wishes."
      
      "GOGOGO, DOWNDOWNDOWN, MINEMINEMINE!!!!"
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
      - Anonymous Coward, 28 Sep 2012 @ 11:19am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re:
        My personal favorite was the episode with the Abominable Snowman.
        "Oh George, you were naughty to pretend you was a bunny rabbit. I will punish you good. Bad ol' George."
        
        Probably because my name is George. Gosh it's hot. ;)
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Titania Bonham-Smythe (profile), 28 Sep 2012 @ 6:52am

In my innocence I thought I would pop over to the US patent office website and say "hey guys, this was a silly patent, you shouldn't have issued it" but discovered a bureaucratic institution of infinite complexity. I'd rather spend the afternoon restocking the cat muzzles in the gift shop.
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Sep 2012 @ 6:58am

Perhaps we should start boycotting companies who file for ridiculous patents. Maybe that would get the message across that we're tired of them abusing the system.
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- The eejit (profile), 28 Sep 2012 @ 7:10am
  
  Re:
  Well, in that case, we might as well just kill ourselves, as most tech companies have ridiculous patents on file.
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- Anonymous Coward, 28 Sep 2012 @ 9:36am
  
  Re:
  Boycotts schmoycotts. If we won't boycott things that rob us of civil rights, that impose monopoly pricing on us, that leave only a packaged/bundled selection of tripe pouring into our televisions, and a hundred other causes, why on earth would people boycott over *this* ?
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Spaceman Spiff (profile), 28 Sep 2012 @ 7:13am

Another good reason
Why the USPTO should be disbanded, all management and staff fired, and a new organization started with some SANE managers who know what-the-fuck-is-up and can hire people who are similarly aware! Ok. That will never happen, but firing management is a start...
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Sep 2012 @ 7:26am

Go to GoDaddy and leave them a message telling them how stupid it is and you are ready to be sued. This guy is stupidly rich, you know the guys who get rich and aren't smart. Nothing like alienating your company.
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Sep 2012 @ 7:28am

I stopped using GoDaddy for anything after they got back door hacked in 2007 and I haven't seen it get fixed. You want to find stuff on your site you didn't put there, host at GoDaddy.
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Sep 2012 @ 8:32am

If you are serious about trying to understand why this patent issued, I suggest you start with its file wrapper, available from the USPTO, and study its prosecution history starting with the application being filed and ending with the issuance of a patent. Until this is done the most that can be said is that the comments here are nothing more than speculation.
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nospacesorspecialcharacters (profile), 28 Sep 2012 @ 9:04am

Pham Award Nominee!
Excellent! Now I know I can patent my very own idea of announcing on a blog-site that I've just made a comment, and it will be approved.
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- nospacesorspecialcharacters (profile), 28 Sep 2012 @ 9:05am
  
  Re: Pham Award Nominee!
  I've just made a comment at Techdirt!
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Gwiz (profile), 28 Sep 2012 @ 9:24am
    
    Re: Re: Pham Award Nominee!
    I'm on a horse.
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    - Anonymous Coward, 28 Sep 2012 @ 10:32am
      
      Re: Re: Re: Pham Award Nominee!
      I'm toe cheese.
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- MahaliaShere (profile), 28 Sep 2012 @ 11:01am
  
  Re: Pham Award Nominee!
  I believe Twitter has a setting that automatically posts tweets to Facebook if you choose. Let the litigation begin.
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Sep 2012 @ 10:25am

I am patenting posting a description and image of my dinner on a social media site.
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Pending Patent, 28 Sep 2012 @ 4:50pm

There is a process for patent review called "reexamination" where anyone, even one who has no rights in the patent, can challenge the validity of the patent. Perhaps a concerted effort by a concerned community may convince the Patent board to revoke the patent.

For your interest:
See Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP) 2209 and 2204.
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davnel, 30 Sep 2012 @ 9:39am

Follow the money.
First, what does it cost to apply for a patent, and what do the attorneys cost? Second, is there any additional cost for approval and/or publication? Third, how much is spent during the "search" phase (aparently a joke in itself)?
Patents have to be a very lucrative racket, even at the application end. Also, how much of that money goes to the USPTO, ie, how are they funded?
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