http://kotaku.com/5318881/microsoft-patents-drop+in-co+op-in-shooters

I'm all for patents to individuals who come up with original ideas, but WTF.  Sorry if this is a duplicate thread.  Discuss.

I don't see nothing wrong with this. I really think you hate for M$ is blinding your perspective.

I don't know. Maybe that was some kind of innovative idea back in 2002.

Yes it was, they patented it in 2002, and it was just approved recently.

I agree with the Kotaku comments:

AncientUnknown1:

"I just don't like the idea that people can patent abstract concepts like this. I feel like with the behavior of today's patent court, the person who invented books could have patented the idea of numbering and ordering pages for the purpose of chronologically reading them; or the inventor of the first electronic machine could have patented the idea of One-touch OFF/ON buttons the same way Amazon patented One-click buying. Which would leave us with having to go through a series of inconventient flipping switches and button presses to turn our machines off/on because some asshole patented common sense.

Namco patented the idea of using quick little minigames during loading screens. Wanna know why you don't see many of them? Crazy Taxi patented the idea of using an over-head arrow to point you in the right direction of your destination. Can you guess why you've been stuck having to decipher a GPS route on your minimap all of these years? Some asshole patented the idea of using a 12th-century word in the title of video game. Care to wager why Soul Edge became Soul Blade?

What it has come down to is a race. A race of money and man-power. Who can fund the filing of common sense patents before the competition does, and then sue others for infringement? Filing a patent is expensive. It can cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Big corporations are filing hundreds of patents a week. Smaller businesses and individuals have to pick and choose. What does it mean for us consumers when companies are more focused on patenting their ideas than actually turning them into products? What does it mean for us when a company won't go forth with a product unless they can patent it?

I'll leave you with this: imagine if the Duke of Sandwich patented the idea of putting meat and toppings between two pieces of bread."

I don't like how Apple patened the pinching thing with the touch screen >.

Patents allow for less creative freedom with competition >.

>.<

This. So power down a bit, you're getting too emotional.

I am so glad that never happened.)