Building ANYTHING can create a lot of jobs. For example, digging a large hole and then filling it back in.

This really has no bearing on the value of the proposition.

The USPTO needs an ESL program for patent examiners.

But I guess that's not exotic enough.

Who cares? It's not a question of costs.

It's a question of a corporation using its state-granted monopoly power to discriminate against competitors.

Saying a bottle top doesn't "want" to come off is just stupid.

Everyone knows its *really* because the Leprechauns are inside holding it on, trying to keep the beer for themselves.

Which is why, of course, we need wage war on Scotland and Ireland, the known home of the Leprechauns.

It is our "manifest destiny" to launch a "crusade" against the Scottish and Irish people, and we won't rest until they are all dead or enslaved.

See, magical thinking is healthy.

WARNING: CONGRESSMEN MAY BE FULL OF BULLSHIT.
Never play on or around congressmen*

*unless you want to be covered in bullshit.

Both parties are guilty of this so voting down party lines isn't going to solve the problem.

What MIGHT help the problem is voting against every incumbent until they get the message.
If enough people did this we would see some real change for a change.

Someone should start an anti-incumbent party.

Sorry - cash in exchange for STOCK in the company, and a promise by MS to keep developing for mac hardware.

This is Slashdot - IP stands for imaginary property.

Anyone who would _dare_ to even file a patent application is a patent troll here.

Nobody since the guy who invented fire has ever made anything we *NEED*.

Yes, but I think the action here is the antithesis of patent trolling, is it not?

Here we have Apple, an actual tech company with
(1) products in the marketplace
(2) legit patents for meaningful inventions
(3) a desire to stay OUT of court so it can produce the products
(4) a settlement with the biggest name in computers at the time - not for cash, but for an INVESTMENT.

This is absolutely not patent trolling.

In fact, one could argue that this is the patent system operating at its best.
An innovative company with good ideas flounders in the marketplace temporarily (possibly due to anti-competitive behavior by MS?), leverages its patents to get an influx of capital, and subsequently becomes one of the profitable companies in the history of civilization?
Yeah, that sounds about right.