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If patent attorneys continue unabated, we may one day have to be careful how we think, lest we run afoul of patents.
Patents control how inventions are used and sold. Initially covering new products, the scope of patents was expanded by the US Congress to include processes.
Today, patents reach far beyond simple processes. Companies are patent genes and mathematical algorithms. eHarmony, for example, has patented a mathematical formula for compatibility; now, other companies are rushing to patent the application of math to everything from finance to energy.
This documentary looks at the expanding definition of patents, and how it might change society.
As we incorporate technological inventions into ourselves, we may find the patent-holders in control of our lives, and be forced to pay someone in order to think in a particular way.
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