In an opinion (PDF) published this morning, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a lower court’s decision to invalidate two patents, numbered 6,398,646 and 6,656,045, claiming to cover computerized bingo.
Yes, you read that right: bingo.
via Appeals court knocks out computer bingo patents | Ars Technica.
But who owns the name “ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE”? It is a viral movement. Its origin is disputed, and likely was used for other charitable causes first.
Yet by filing with the USPTO, the ALS Association now alleges that it owns rights to the phrase “Ice Bucket Challenge” in connection with charitable fundraising.
ALS Association captured a viral wave this summer. And it raised lots of money and attention for the ALS disease and the struggle to find a cure and to assist those diagnosed with it. An effort to register the ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE strikes me as a bit akin to those who sought register BOSTON STRONG after the marathon bombings in 2013