... Alan Olsen: wouldn't that be perfect? a "collectable patent card game", as a way to criticise patents (by using the most ridiculous ones on the cards), which in itself violates a patent... hm, I like the idea... "combine the 'patent for display of blablah' with the 'method or device for remote information acquisition' and you can cross-license that against your enemie's 'global computer network patent' for 10 points." ... This would be a fabulous way of introducing young children into the new emerging world. One of the strategies of the game would be to build a patent portfolio. For example, you have developed an idea, and now you need to take out something like 250,000 patents on anything and everything possible and even likely to be tenously linked to protecting your idea, anything near your idea, and how to produce your idea, or sell your idea, or do anything likely to be possible with your idea. Your opponent pays the role of a patent lawyer, trying to navigate through every little crack in your patent portfolio armour. It would be a wonderful way of illustrating how one simple creative idea requires ten times as much creative ideas just to protect that original idea. An excellent introduction to the simplicity of the contemporary world. Foobulus Barraculus _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.