July 03, 2004
Microsoft Patents Human Body
It sounds like an April Fool's Day joke, but it isn't. Microsoft, that imperialist of the information-technology world, has actually succeeded in patenting the human body as a computer network. US Patent 6,754,472, issued to the company on June 22nd, is for a “method and apparatus for transmitting power and data using the human body”.
Posted by jbleecker at July 3, 2004 03:48 PMComments
Holy Sh...cary
Awesome idea, but how the hell can they patent it? Seems kinda public domain doesn't it? It is my body, and yours after all! Using my primary interface with reality as an interface for augmented ubiquitous reality seems only natural, but how can it be patented without a product? I'd like to seem them enforce this in the future. It's kind of like patenting the DynaBook, the Memex, not in product but in concept.
On another note, if it's not hackable (good luck!) I'm completely for it.
Posted by: SEDinehart at July 3, 2004 05:33 PM
Um, it actually appears to be more of a specific method for transmitting signals through the human body (which is pretty scary in its own right), though not a general patent on the human body.
Posted by: msteffen at July 7, 2004 01:44 PM
If you read the patent it isn't specific, all it really seems to state is that the human body can be a conductor and resistor of energy, also with the advent of mobile media, personal area networks are possible, combining these two the body could be used as an interface for a closed personal system. Again it's a great idea but it is just a concept with no product specifics. I don't see it as being an enforceable patent.
Read the article linked above.
Posted by: SEDinehart at July 7, 2004 02:19 PM
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