How does this happen? Who are the people who decide what is a valid patent/trademark and what isn't? We all here look at each other in disbelief (figuratively). Yes someone granted the the trademark thinking this is valid thing to do.<p>I guess, thinking about it. No matter how indignant I would get about this topic, I really don't see myself dropping programming and applying to the Patent Office.<p>It seems to me this is not completely unlike the case of primary education in US. I have heard and seen horror stories about utter incompetence of math and science teachers in some schools. I get angry and indignant about it. But, in the morning, I will go back to programming. I will not be applying for a teaching certificate or whatever the first step is to become a teacher.<p>Painting with broad strokes here, it seem, this is the work non-experts doing experts' work. The tragedy is there are anti-incentives to attracting passionate or driven individuals in such positions. Bureaucracy, low pay, perceived cultural low status of the jobs, is probably the driving force behinds these kind of things.