J.K. Rowling Got Ripped Off By Microsoft!

Banjo · 03-03-2005, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Microsoft's festival of future

By Kim Peterson
Seattle Times technology reporter

Microsoft researchers have put a new twist on telling time, creating a digital wall clock with hands for each member of the family.

Instead of numbers, the hands point to places — work, school, home — and can track a person's location to show where he or she is at any time. Not good for teenagers, perhaps, but something parents might find interesting.

Don't expect to buy the clock in stores anytime soon. That invention, and hundreds of others, were on display yesterday at Microsoft's annual science fair of the most futuristic ideas from the company's research division.

Ohhh, this is what we refer to as a Weasley clock. The concept was introduced to us in the second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Obviously J.K. Rowling had invented the clock herself by describing the concept and appearance of it. Just because she didn't actually make one doesn't mean she should be denied the rights to the concept. In fact, we do get to see what it looks like in the movie.

Quote:

The people-tracking clock is an idea out of Microsoft's research laboratories in Cambridge, England. Technology in cellphones these days can easily track a person's location, and that information could be sent to the clock to be seen by those at home.

AN IDEA OUT OF MICROSOFT'S RESEARCH LAB IN ENGLAND?

Did the "employee" happen to be J.K. Rowling? I doubt it, she was the one who came up with the idea. Not Microsoft! Obviously they researched J.K. Rowling's books to get this "idea" and then claimed it as theirs!

I hope J.K. Rowling sue the pants off them!

To read the full story, click here.

To view the picture of the rip-off Weasley clock, click here.

Codger · 03-03-2005, 08:08 PM

Interesting, but that is not the way intellectual property law works. If it did, most patents we have today would be void. The first to develope the technology to a working, reproducable state and register it with the USPTO or the IPTO is the one who owns it. The author wrote of a fictional object, but made no attempt to apply technology and actually create the object, or to file a patent on the created object. She might hold a copyright on the name she used for the fictional object, but not the object itself, since she never attempted to cause it to exist. History is replete with visionaries whao wrote of amazing devices. DaVinci, H.G. Wells, Jules Verne...and don't forget Gene Rodenbury!

Steel X · 03-03-2005, 08:37 PM

pretty interesting...

but eh you know Mircosoft...they try to do ANYTHING to get something that would be worth milions of dollars by something they invent and then catch ppl's attention to get their shit...etc lol

I don't really think it's the first time Mircosoft stole someone's ideas before, either.

Banjo · 03-03-2005, 09:29 PM

As well it may be perfectly legal, but at least I know Microsoft didn't come up with the idea like they claimed to.

Hmph!

Codger · 03-03-2005, 10:59 PM

The U.S. Navy stole one of my patent ideas for their SEALs. They had the technology to make it work and I didn't. The Air Force is working on it now for their pilots and navigators. The Army will have it incorporated in their comms helmets in a few years. Police cars will have it in ten years or less. The Japanese had some great breakthroughs in a very important component. It was a great idea, but it was only an idea. Dreamers dream. Doers do.

ravensteve1961 · 03-03-2005, 11:27 PM

Hey bill gates is in the USA. You cant make another person pay whos from another country. If thats the case who come the american hostages of IRAN never got one dime from the allahtollah?

Codger · 03-03-2005, 11:42 PM

If a person in Britain or the U.S. or any other country who is a signer of the international patent treaty holds a patent, then people in other countries have to pay the patent holder royalties to use his patent. An American holds the patent on intermittent windshield wipers and he collects royalties from automakers worldwide. I don't think anyone has ever patented hostages Steve. They would be what is called in Intellectual Property Law "as is known in the arts", meaning in common usage prior to any patent application rendering the offensive and defensive claims of the application void. Get that?

***VamPyroX*** · 03-03-2005, 11:50 PM

You never know... maybe Microsoft already had that idea first. It just took them a while to make it a reality. I've already had that idea before Harry Potter was even released.

Banjo · 03-04-2005, 12:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VamPyroX

You never know... maybe Microsoft already had that idea first. It just took them a while to make it a reality. I've already had that idea before Harry Potter was even released.

I doubt it, and to think that the Microsoft clock has spoon-shaped hands with people's faces on them just like it was in the book and the movie.

Hello!

Dennis · 03-04-2005, 07:41 AM

*shrug* The best ideas for things to create for the REAL WORLD come from the imaginations of writers who put them into books.

Do you think Jules Verne's ancestors should sue because we got the inspiration of technology from him? Being able to make a submarine possible?

I think it's silly that the example provided by Microsoft looks like the movie adaptation of the Weasley clock, but then again, WHAT BETTER WAY TO MAKE IT MORE RECOGNIZABLE?

Shame on Microsoft for exploiting that, but kudos for them to make this "magic" technology possible.

***VamPyroX*** · 03-04-2005, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Banjo

I doubt it, and to think that the Microsoft clock has spoon-shaped hands with people's faces on them just like it was in the book and the movie.

Hello!

I've never read the book nor do I remember this being mentioned anywhere until now. Again, I did dream this up when I was younger. I had this converstation with my friends about how strict my parents were. The next thing I knew, I dreamed this up overnight. It was freaky... but cool at the same time. I could tell if my parents were on their way home so I could stop whatever bad thing I was doing at home.

Steel X · 03-04-2005, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VamPyroX

I've never read the book nor do I remember this being mentioned anywhere until now. Again, I did dream this up when I was younger. I had this converstation with my friends about how strict my parents were. The next thing I knew, I dreamed this up overnight. It was freaky... but cool at the same time. I could tell if my parents were on their way home so I could stop whatever bad thing I was doing at home.

like surfing on porn, and your parents always caught you doing that, and then they took your computer away...for what? the third time?

lol!!

***VamPyroX*** · 03-04-2005, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steel

like surfing on porn, and your parents always caught you doing that, and then they took your computer away...for what? the third time?

lol!!

Hahaha... that's an idea that we discussed.

The other idea was sex. Heh!

03-03-2005, 08:37 PM	#3 (permalink)
Steel X Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 10,683	pretty interesting... but eh you know Mircosoft...they try to do ANYTHING to get something that would be worth milions of dollars by something they invent and then catch ppl's attention to get their shit...etc lol I don't really think it's the first time Mircosoft stole someone's ideas before, either. __________________

03-03-2005, 11:50 PM	#8 (permalink)
*VamPyroX* bloody phreak from hell Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Hell Posts: 27,039	You never know... maybe Microsoft already had that idea first. It just took them a while to make it a reality. I've already had that idea before Harry Potter was even released. __________________ Check out my city... CLICK HERE! (If you already visited yesterday, visit again today!)

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03-03-2005, 08:08 PM	#2 (permalink)
Codger This body is on loan Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 817	Interesting, but that is not the way intellectual property law works. If it did, most patents we have today would be void. The first to develope the technology to a working, reproducable state and register it with the USPTO or the IPTO is the one who owns it. The author wrote of a fictional object, but made no attempt to apply technology and actually create the object, or to file a patent on the created object. She might hold a copyright on the name she used for the fictional object, but not the object itself, since she never attempted to cause it to exist. History is replete with visionaries whao wrote of amazing devices. DaVinci, H.G. Wells, Jules Verne...and don't forget Gene Rodenbury!

03-03-2005, 09:29 PM	#4 (permalink)
Banjo Mr. Movie Guy Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 4,966 Blog Entries: 1	As well it may be perfectly legal, but at least I know Microsoft didn't come up with the idea like they claimed to. Hmph!

03-03-2005, 10:59 PM	#5 (permalink)
Codger This body is on loan Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 817	The U.S. Navy stole one of my patent ideas for their SEALs. They had the technology to make it work and I didn't. The Air Force is working on it now for their pilots and navigators. The Army will have it incorporated in their comms helmets in a few years. Police cars will have it in ten years or less. The Japanese had some great breakthroughs in a very important component. It was a great idea, but it was only an idea. Dreamers dream. Doers do.

03-03-2005, 11:27 PM	#6 (permalink)
ravensteve1961 Banned Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Here Posts: 3,940	Hey bill gates is in the USA. You cant make another person pay whos from another country. If thats the case who come the american hostages of IRAN never got one dime from the allahtollah?

03-03-2005, 11:42 PM	#7 (permalink)
Codger This body is on loan Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 817	If a person in Britain or the U.S. or any other country who is a signer of the international patent treaty holds a patent, then people in other countries have to pay the patent holder royalties to use his patent. An American holds the patent on intermittent windshield wipers and he collects royalties from automakers worldwide. I don't think anyone has ever patented hostages Steve. They would be what is called in Intellectual Property Law "as is known in the arts", meaning in common usage prior to any patent application rendering the offensive and defensive claims of the application void. Get that?

03-04-2005, 07:41 AM	#10 (permalink)
Dennis \/ It's a computer patch. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Death Star HQ Posts: 1,748	shrug The best ideas for things to create for the REAL WORLD come from the imaginations of writers who put them into books. Do you think Jules Verne's ancestors should sue because we got the inspiration of technology from him? Being able to make a submarine possible? I think it's silly that the example provided by Microsoft looks like the movie adaptation of the Weasley clock, but then again, WHAT BETTER WAY TO MAKE IT MORE RECOGNIZABLE? Shame on Microsoft for exploiting that, but kudos for them to make this "magic" technology possible.