It’s the functionality that’s patented. It’s not the code. Code is copyrighted.
this post was submitted on 19 Apr 2024
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Can someone give an example of a time when software patents are good for everyone? Because I can only think of software patents that have prevented the widespread adoption of ideas, and not the opposite.
Isn't that the point, though. Allow someone to profit from it rather than make it free to use. If there is another way to do it, that is not patented but free, they will use that, even if the code is objectively worse. See media codecs for example at the moment.
I think the original intention was to motivate people to create new technologies. If you spent your life savings designing and prototyping a new product in your shed you don't want a giant company being able to go "cool, thanks I'll make them myself and run you out of business".
The whole point is that you'll invest into it because you'll be able to profit off it afterwards
It’s all marketing. You likely only know that Dominos had the system patented because it slaps a big patent number right on the tracker. The fact that you're discussing it is essentially free advertising and increases brand awareness. So, this post suggests that the investment in patent lawyers was likely worthwhile for the company.
Largely, consumers seem to derive the below listed perceptions when they recognize that a product is protected by a patent:
- When a message about a product being protected by a patent is conveyed, the company as a whole is perceived to be innovative
- The patented product is perceived to be superior
- The patented product is perceived to be unique, as no one else can copy the patented product
from https://www.invntree.com/blogs/using-patents-marketing-tool-good-bad-and-ugly
(this is not a defense of any of these practices; simply indicating what is going on here)
Fuck I fell for it.. gg dominos
Marketing is just mass manipulation and propaganda with a palatable name. :(
I had seen it noted on the tracker itself.. but it also doesn't seem very unique or useful overall.
It's not useful, as it doesn't always reflect reality so it's just a bunch of loading bars to manage customer expectation. Ask the domino's subreddit
Oh it's definitely useful.
The biggest benefit to all that tracking is they use all that data to optimise the delivery process which ultimately means shorter delivery times and lower prices. Those five dollar pizzas are partly thanks to cheap ingredients and low pay, but some of it is also efficient production and delivery.
This seems like a pretty standard solution for this kind of thing and I don't believe it would have been patentable - there's no breakthroughs here, even for 2007.