Microsoft Patents Custom Emoticons (Pat/No 760975)

Back in January 2004 Microsoft filed a patent in the US for the procedure for creating and transferring Custom Emoticons. It was published by the US patent office on Thursday. Comments from ZDNet UK:

- Mark Taylor, executive director of the Open Source Consortium, said the patent could be particularly problematic as it covers basic human communication. "Emoticons are a form of language, and a precedent allowing patenting of language constructs is very dangerous indeed." - Jonas Maebe, a spokesman for the Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII), said that "it is unfortunately quite clear such patents have nothing to do with protecting investments nor R&D, and only with obtaining exclusion rights which can help them [Microsoft] maintain their dominant position in the market." - Such patents are in contradiction to the original purpose of the patent system, according to Maebe's colleague at the FFII, Felipe Wersen: "Patents were ultimately designed to benefit society — to have companies disclose things that benefit society which they wouldn't otherwise disclose. Who does this patent benefit?"

I hope this patent is just not so serious. Patent Application Text