How the hell can you patent something in the public domain?

[Grumpmeister]

How the hell does that work? That face has been used in the public domain for well over a decade now. How can you patent something like that, after all it isnt as if you can prove you invented it.

A series of punctuation marks used to convey a wink in text messages - known as an emoticon - has been trademarked in Russia, says a local businessman.

Entrepreneur Oleg Teterin said the trademark for the ;-) emoticon was granted to him by Russia's federal patent agency.

But critics doubt the trademark's legal basis as the emoticon has been in the public domain for years.

Mr Teterin said he would chase firms using the symbol without permission.

"I want to highlight that this is only directed at corporations, companies that are trying to make a profit without the permission of the trademark holder," Mr Teterin said in comments on the Russian TV channel, NTV.

"Legal use will be possible after buying an annual licence from us," he was quoted by the newspaper Kommersant as saying.

"It won't cost that much - tens of thousands of dollars," added the businessman, who is president of Superfone, a company that sells advertising on mobile phones.

But he said he does not plan on tracking down individual users of the emoticon.

He also said since other similar emoticons - :-) or or - resemble the one he has trademarked, use of those symbols could also fall under his ownership.

Some observers say the announcement by Mr Teterin is a gimmick.

The president of Russian social networking site odnoklassniki.ru, Nikita Sherman said: "You're not likely to find any retards in Russia who'll pay Superfone for the use of emoticons".

Alexander Malis, a director of the firm Vympelkom, said his company would not pay on principle, and jokingly suggested patenting brackets.

According to Russian media, Mr Teterin is not the first person to try to trademark the ;-) symbol in Russia.

Kommersant said in 2005 a St Petersburg court upheld an appeal from the German corporation Siemens, which was sued by a Russian man claiming he held the trademark.

[Snoopy]

Russians ~ Nigerians ~ apart from skin colour what's the difference? They all think they can con the West out of money because they believe they are cleverer than we are. Our Givernment* make them think this as they are forever handing them shed loads of cash which is spent on executive jets and guns rather than those it was intended for. What they don't realise is that it is only our politicians that are Arseh*les.











* Yes I meant Givernment ~ it seemed appropriate.

[Pastis]

It's bollux. Think Mafiosi 

[Grumpmeister]

It's bollux. Think Mafiosi 

Dont you mean mafiovski? 

[Barman]

It's bollux. Think Mafiosi 

Dont you mean mafiovski? 

;-)

[Grumpmeister]

Ivan and Oleg will be around soon to collect their 'royalties' BM 

[Darwins Selection]

They can stick their semi-colon up their colon if you ask me. 

[Barman]

Ivan and Oleg will be around soon to collect their 'royalties' BM 

[Grumpmeister]

Just sic Nick on them BM.... 

[Barman]

Just sic Nick on them BM.... 

Yes. Nick made me do it sir... send him to the gulag.... 

[Grumpmeister]

Ivan: "Nick.....? Captain Calamitksi!!!"
Oleg: "That's all right, you keep the money. We will pay Vladimir ourselves"