McDonald s wants to patent way to make sandwich

[GA Russell]

McDonald s has invented a tool to use in making a sandwich. It is seeking a patent in the US and Europe to prevent anyone from using a similar tool.

The tool has a cavity. You put the garnishes in first, then the meat, then the bread, then turn it upside down. That s what I make of it. Here s the link:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1952246,00.html

[DukeCity]

As I read the story, I instantly had the Raymond Scott/ Bugs Bunny construction music going on in my head.

[RDK]

So long as Lou Donaldson can still patent the sammich it's all okay by me...

[Man with the Golden Arm]

... and then we'll have ta let Tiger patent the sandwedge.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

... and then we'll have ta let Tiger patent the sandwedge.

Incredible shot! You couldn't see on the vid - was he in a bunker?

MG

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Anyway, McD's are arseholes. Everyone knows that a sandwich isn't heated in anyway. If you toast the bread, it automatically becomes a toastie.

MG

[Man with the Golden Arm]

... and then we'll have ta let Tiger patent the sandwedge.

Incredible shot! You couldn't see on the vid - was he in a bunker?

MG

no, he was in the short rough (you know that wifey of his) and probably hit an eight iron, but I couldn''t resist.

[B. Clugston]

They'll try to patent shit next.

[Neal Pomea]

Actually, there is a movement afoot in the U.S. to find some kind of intellectual property protection -- patent, copyright, something -- not only for recipes but also for food on the plate that you are served in a restaurant. See http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/new-er...-recipe-burglar

My take on this is that food on the plate doesn't endure enough to be the subject of copyright. It is by definition consumable, not enduring. Would it be logical to give a term of ownership of 50 years, or maybe 70 years after the death of the chef/creator, to a dish destined for waste in a short time if everything comes out all right?

People in other fields are emboldened to lobby for surprising things when they see the model of U.S. copyright.