Ask HN: Is Phonebloks Using Next Generation Copyright/Patent Trolling?

1 points by ChikkaChiChi 12y ago ↗ HN

Phonebloks (http://www.davehakkens.nl/) is an ideadeck web page making the rounds today. It appears to be a page made by a designer pitching a product to nobody in particular. The person has no interest or ability to make the device, they just want people to 'like' it in hopes it gets made.

This is the second such website I've come across this week after trying to see if a tchotchke from 'Doctor Who' was available for sale. It wasn't, but some guy posted up details about how he wished someone would make one and any interested companies should contact him.

If a person or company ran with the idea are they somehow responsible for compensating the people who post things like this? Is this a new form of poor man's copyright or lawsuit trolling?

I'm worried because if I had an idea, I'd research it first. If I came across some website that had the same idea I think I would give pause to developing it further because of this.

3 comments

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hardwaresofton 12y ago ↗

Pretty sure they would need to file a patent for them to patent troll you.

Patent trolls file ridiculous patents and hope to catch you on a technicality or bleed you out (and have you settle instead of going to court) -- If these people didn't put patents on the ideas, then they won't have a leg to stand on as far as patent trolling goes, right?

ChikkaChiChi 12y ago ↗

I believe so, but what about prior art copyrighting?

Well I think if if that case were to hold up in court, I could just go around and lay all my ideas out somewhere and sue someone if anyone at all tries to make something.

I'm not a lawyer, but if you were to ask me, I'm pretty sure judges will throw cases like that out of court