Re:because... (Score 2, Informative)

Then again, the upside is that you won't get sued by the corporation that had the gall to patent some absurd process in the first place and consequently be put out of business. The major problem, especially with the US patent office, is that patent examiners are paid on a quasi-commission scale. The more patents they approve, the better. They review patent applications with the question of whether there's any reason they absolutely cannot approve the application, not whether the application warrants approval. Until that's changed, anything that isn't blatantly stupid or already patented will be approved. In general, European patent offices are a bit more cautious (the reason the ridiculous "one click" patent was never approved there) - I'm somewhat surprised this one made it through to begin with.