I know about software patents but what’s the point when somebody can achieve the exact same functionality from the user’s perspective using totally different code. Just seems like a waste on a patent lawyer.
It’s the functionality that’s patented. It’s not the code. Code is copyrighted.
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.
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)
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.
I had seen it noted on the tracker itself… but it also doesn’t seem very unique or useful overall.
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.
