<nettime> SPAM and the Patent System

[Tom_Gray@mitel.com]

I have received a piece of spam today that appears to be using some
worm-like tricks to get itself read. Looking at the technique it used, I
realised that this would be a patentable idea. Instead of trying to have
spam outlawed as an end in itself which will likely prove futile, it
occurred to me that spam fighters could unite to patent ideas that could be
used by spamming systems. Spammers would open themselves to civil liability
if they infringed on any of these patents. This could be a practical
strategy and a good use for the patent system.

Tom Gray

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