Did you know?

Something a little lighter for New Year's Eve.

Did you know there is a patent on the french fry box/holder McDonalds uses?

It's Patent 6,050,482, and the patent can be read here.

Lest ye think this is some slapped together farcical patent, oh no. Here's the abstract:

A fry scoop having front and rear walls and an upwardly and rearwardly inclined bottom formed of a narrow forward bottom panel and a wide rear bottom panel which provides for an upward shifting of the rear wall as compensation for a reduced height of the panel forming the rear wall.

And the first claim:

1. A food carton comprising a bottom, front and rear walls having lower edges and extending upward from said bottom, and opposed sides, said front and rear walls being joined at said sides, said bottom being joined to and extending between said front and rear wall lower edges, said carton including support means for supporting said carton upright and defining a support plane below said bottom, said bottom being of a greater height above said support plane at said rear wall than at said front wall wherein said rear wall lower edge is upwardly offset relative to said front wall lower edge, said walls and said bottom are integral and defined from a unitary blank of foldable material, and including a first fold line between said bottom and said front wall, a second fold line between said bottom and said rear wall, and a third fold line in said bottom between said first and second fold lines and defining a forward bottom panel between said first and third fold lines, and a rear bottom panel between said second fold line and said third fold line, said forward bottom panel having a front to rear depth less than a front to rear depth of said rear bottom panel and wherein said first and second fold lines form opposed convex front and rear edges on said bottom, said bottom, between said sides, being upwardly arced.

I am truly glad I am not a lawyer, and I don't have to write stuff like this for a living. But is our civilization worth saving, when you can get a patent on something to hold french fries? Does the next poor sap that comes along have to pay you royalties or something if they dare to put french fries in some container to give to their customers?

Apparently McDonalds also tried to trademark the box design this year, but a registrar who's not quite ready to throw open the gates to the Visigoths yet said no, the galaxy is not yet ready for trademarking a french fry box. Here is a paper (in PDF) on the decision. The bottom line:

Having considered all the documents filed by the Applicant and all the arguments submitted in relation to this application, I find that the subject mark as a whole is devoid of any distinctive character, and is precluded from registration by section 11(1)(b) of the Ordinance. Accordingly, I refuse the application under section 42(4)(b) of the Ordinance.

Again, I'm glad I'm not a lawyer and don't have to figure out why something that is "devoid of any distinctive character" doesn't qualify for a trademark, but does qualify for a patent.

Happy New Year, everybody!