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If I may play the devil's advocate for a moment here, what if the filer really did come up with a new way of filming yoga classes that actually is much better,

If I may play the devil's advocate for a moment here, what if the filer really did come up with a new way of filming yoga classes that actually is much better, which everyone then proceeded to copy? I don't know if that's the case here, and I am not sure exactly how I feel even if it is. Should any idea be free for anyone to copy once it's "out there"?

ipsin 12y ago
The problem with the YogaGlo patent is that covered basically what you would do if you wanted to film a yoga class and thought about it for five minutes... and there was plenty of "prior art" using the same strategy. If it was a truly novel thing involving (say) a camera rig for capturing more angles, or using 3d modeling to highlight specific body angles and positions, I might be sympathetic, but this patent was approximately "put a camera in a yoga studio". https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/10/octobers-very-bad-no-good-totally-stupid-patent-month-filming-yoga-class https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/10/octobers-very-bad-no-g...
computer 12y ago
Yes, since it doesn't seem like something that costs billians in R&D and needs a patent for a government-enforced monopoly to make back those costs.
pizza234 12y ago
This kind of patent is nothing more than what clever and dedicated people could do. I'm sure that in the history of filming one could find such setup - for how many decades have instructional videos be produced? They just, as good weasels, found a weaselly way to patent an not-so-special idea, and patented it, with the assumption that if somebody finds a similar way of filming, say, 4 feet from the ground instead of 3, he certainly not going to have a few million dollars to proceed in court - we're talking about yoga, not android devices (ahem...). Keep in mind, most importantly, that asserting that this patent is ridiculous doesn't equal or implies that any idea should be free for anyone to copy.
- darkstar999 12y ago
  > nothing more than what clever and dedicated people could do _All_ patents are "nothing more than what clever and dedicated people could do". I'm not defending this particular patent, I just wanted to refute that part of your argument.
  - al2o3cr 12y ago
    Depends on what you read into "clever", I'd say. The standard for novelty that the USPTO uses makes anything "obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the subject matter pertains" non-patentable. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Person_having_ordinary_skill_in_the_art#United_States http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Person_having_ordinary_skill_in...
oh_sigh 12y ago
I can't imagine why film shots should be patentable. It's just using a camera in a certain way. For example, imagine if someone patented the dolly zoom[1]. It would be similar to patenting using a tennis racket to swat at bees. [1]: http://youtu.be/rW23RsUTb2Y?t=2m1s http://youtu.be/rW23RsUTb2Y?t=2m1s
kstrauser 12y ago
What's the precedent for Hollywood directors copying each other's interesting new techniques? I ask because I genuinely don't know, but it seems like that would be a decent analogy. If Cameron invents/discovers/whatever a new shot or method or angle, can Bay use it without paying? If so, I think that's your answer.
- lotsofmangos 12y ago
  You just reminded me of this comparative analysis of Bay's shooting techniques. http://vimeo.com/99798626 http://vimeo.com/99798626 edit - no really, watch it. It is much better than it sounds.
kristiandupont 12y ago
(wow, -4! I guess I need to choose my wording even more carefully! Sorry about seemingly not taking the right side here, people!)

ipsin 12y ago

The problem with the YogaGlo patent is that covered basically what you would do if you wanted to film a yoga class and thought about it for five minutes... and there was plenty of "prior art" using the same strategy. If it was a truly novel thing involving (say) a camera rig for capturing more angles, or using 3d modeling to highlight specific body angles and positions, I might be sympathetic, but this patent was approximately "put a camera in a yoga studio". https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/10/octobers-very-bad-no-good-totally-stupid-patent-month-filming-yoga-class https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/10/octobers-very-bad-no-g...

computer 12y ago

Yes, since it doesn't seem like something that costs billians in R&D and needs a patent for a government-enforced monopoly to make back those costs.

pizza234 12y ago

This kind of patent is nothing more than what clever and dedicated people could do. I'm sure that in the history of filming one could find such setup - for how many decades have instructional videos be produced? They just, as good weasels, found a weaselly way to patent an not-so-special idea, and patented it, with the assumption that if somebody finds a similar way of filming, say, 4 feet from the ground instead of 3, he certainly not going to have a few million dollars to proceed in court - we're talking about yoga, not android devices (ahem...). Keep in mind, most importantly, that asserting that this patent is ridiculous doesn't equal or implies that any idea should be free for anyone to copy.

darkstar999 12y ago
> nothing more than what clever and dedicated people could do _All_ patents are "nothing more than what clever and dedicated people could do". I'm not defending this particular patent, I just wanted to refute that part of your argument.
- al2o3cr 12y ago
  Depends on what you read into "clever", I'd say. The standard for novelty that the USPTO uses makes anything "obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the subject matter pertains" non-patentable. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Person_having_ordinary_skill_in_the_art#United_States http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Person_having_ordinary_skill_in...

oh_sigh 12y ago

I can't imagine why film shots should be patentable. It's just using a camera in a certain way. For example, imagine if someone patented the dolly zoom[1]. It would be similar to patenting using a tennis racket to swat at bees. [1]: http://youtu.be/rW23RsUTb2Y?t=2m1s http://youtu.be/rW23RsUTb2Y?t=2m1s

kstrauser 12y ago

What's the precedent for Hollywood directors copying each other's interesting new techniques? I ask because I genuinely don't know, but it seems like that would be a decent analogy. If Cameron invents/discovers/whatever a new shot or method or angle, can Bay use it without paying? If so, I think that's your answer.

lotsofmangos 12y ago
You just reminded me of this comparative analysis of Bay's shooting techniques. http://vimeo.com/99798626 http://vimeo.com/99798626 edit - no really, watch it. It is much better than it sounds.

kristiandupont 12y ago

(wow, -4! I guess I need to choose my wording even more carefully! Sorry about seemingly not taking the right side here, people!)