whats this nonsense about a hybrid heirloom?

[Hotwired]

Originally Posted by Doug9345

My understanding is that ordinary words are not able to be trade marked. The ones who trade marked the name are depending on no one having enough money to drag them through the courts to fight it. Hopefully they get aggressive enough with someone that does have the money.

You are absolutely correct. Almost anything can be patented now days. Trade name registration is even worse. I authored over 30 patents related to 3D holographic imaging, and I was totally amazed at how bad the system has gotten. Patent examiners are evaluating patents that they have very little knowledge of, and routinely issue patents that the courts later have to sort out. I was sued for patent infringement about 14 years ago, and it was the first case heard in a "Markman Hearing". It was held in Manhattan and dragged out for 8 months, but the patent was overturned and the company went out of business. The joke among patent attorney is that nowadays you can patent water if you use big enough words. The issue really is who's willing to spend the time and money to take it to court. I can guarantee you if one of the big players in the industry is involved, then it's going to be a long expensive battle.