

Steve Jobs Exhibit on Display at U.S. Patent Office Museum - cleverjake
http://www.macrumors.com/2011/11/23/steve-jobs-exhibit-on-display-at-u-s-patent-office-museum/

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nostromo
I'm actually surprised to find out the USPTO think it's within its mission to
do such things.

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rodw
Not to be dense, but are you saying it's a pleasant surprise or that the USPTO
shouldn't be doing this?

EDIT: For what it is worth, the USPTO has a mission statement at
<http://www.uspto.gov/web/menu/intro.html>. This isn't clearly within their
"mission" except to the extent that it "encourages investment in innovation
and fosters entrepreneurial spirit".

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nostromo
Sorry for the ambiguity... I think it's a waste of time and resources.

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apotheon
I think the USPTO tries to use stuff like this as a way to seem like the good
guy, distracting from the way its half-assed approach to managing patents just
completely screws so much of the US economy.

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apotheon
This absurd cult of personality is way the fuck out of hand.

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pstuart
His name is Robert Paulson.

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rodw
FWIW, I happen to be within walking distance of the USPTO. I was going to
offer to post pictures, but I see the MacRumours article already has them.

Independent of the Steve Jobs exhibit, there is also a talking video
"portrait" of Woz in the little museum they have there. It's not long, but his
portrait is up on a wall along with Edison and Telsa and whatnot. That's a
very flattering, if obscure, public compliment.

(I haven't been there in a while, Telsa might not actually be there, but there
are several famous inventors in the exhibit.)

EDIT: There is a little more info (but unfortunately no pictures) on the
exhibit Woz is in at
<http://www.uspto.gov/about/offices/opa/museum.jsp#heading-2>.

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apotheon
s/Telsa/Tesla/

Basically everything Edison supposedly invented was actually pretty much
plagiarized by someone else, then credited to himself by way of a patent.
Tesla was quite possibly his most-wronged victim. Far from protecting
creators, patent law actually enables more effective and insidious means of
ripping off the innovators of our culture.

Of course the patent office would love Edison, though, because patents were
among Edison's favorite tools for screwing over others.

