Against Intellectual Property by Stephen Kinsella
Appendix
Some questionable examples of patents and copyrights
Some exemplary U.S. patents
Christmas Tree Stand Watering System
U.S. Patent Number 4993176 February 19, 1991
A Christmas tree watering stand shaped like Santa Claus
Initiation Apparatus
U.S. Patent Number 819814
May the 8th 1906. A harmless way of initiating a candidate into a fraternity
by shocking him with electrodes. Method of exercising a cat
U.S. Patent Number 5443036
August 22, 1995, shining a laser light onto the floor to fascinate a cat and cause it to chase the light.
A pat on the back apparatus, US Patent Number 4608967, September 2, 1986, apparatus with simulated human hands to pat the user on the back.
Hyper Lightspeed Antenna, U.S. Patent No. 6025810, Feb. 15, 2000. Poking hole in another dimension to transmit RF waves at faster than lightspeed, incidentally accelerating plant growth.
Force-Sensitive Sound-Playing Condom, US Patent Number 5163447, November 17, 1992, self-explanatory, for example it could play Dixie
Method and System for placing a purchase order via a communications network
U.S. Patent Number 5960411, September 28, 1999
Amazon.com's one-click method for purchasing an item on the World Wide Web via single mouse click
Financial Certificates, Systems and Process
US Patent No. 6017063, January 25, 2000, Inflation Indexed Gift Certificate or Mutual Fund Share
Method and System for Measuring Leadership Effectiveness
US Patent No. 6007340, December 28, 1999, Assigned to Electronic Data Systems Corporation
Sanitary Appliance for Birds, U.S. Patent No. 2882858, April 22nd, 1959, a bird diaper
Religious Soap, U.S. Patent No. 3936384, February 3rd, 1976, a bar of soap with religious design on one side and prayer on the other
And finally, A Method of Preserving the Dead, U.S. Patent No. 748284, December 29, 1903, Preserving Dead Person's Head in Block of Glass
Copyright law, while it has not led to as many clearly absurd applications, has also been extended greatly by the courts.
Originally intended to cover literary works, the concept has been stretched so that authored works include computer programs and even machine language and object code, which is more analogous to a machine part such as a cam than to a literary work.
Against Intellectual Property by Stephen Kinsella
Published by the Ludwig von Mises Institute, Auburn, Alabama
The printed copy, available on the Mises.org website, contains all the footnotes and bibliography.
The preceding audiobook was read by Jock Coates in Oxford, England. Available on www.jockcoates.me