Yet another rediculous Web-related lawsuit has been filed - this time against companies that use wish lists for products. The lawsuit comes from Channel Intelligence, a company with a patent that looks like it covers the creation of lists in databases.

This reminds me of the absurdity of Amazon’s One-Click patent which basically had Amazon controlling the rights to one click purchases on websites. Seems like something somebody made up as a spoof or something right? Well, I wish it was just a joke, and while Amazon’s One-Click patent was partially restricted, much of it still exists.

Most would agree that the United States patent and trademark system is incredibly flawed - especially when it comes to the internet, but it seems like nothing is being done to fix it. How can a company sue other companies for such an obvious “idea” like a wishlist? You aren’t supposed to take a common non-internet concept like a wishlist, apply it to the internet, and then patent the internet form of that concept. Of course, the patent in question is so broad that it’s hard to tell exactly what they “invented” that needed a patent - though odds are that their only invention was the patent itself to sue people who actually do anything with the technology.

Also, let me say that I’m definitely not one of those people who think all patents and trademarks should be removed. I think that those who genuinely do create something new and unique should be able to protect their inventions and profit from their ideas. However, patent trolls should not be allowed to abuse the system by hording vague patents on concepts that shouldn’t have even been patentable in the first place.