2005 Honorable Mentions

The stupidity displayed by the participants in the following tales stops short of the ultimate Darwin Awards sacrifice. Nevertheless, we salute the spirit and innovation of their misadventures.

Science: Patents Amok 2005 Honorable Mention Confirmed True by Darwin Honorable Mention to a Broken System! The patent process has run amok. "Discoveries [...] that would benefit the public [...] could be thwarted by an increasingly compex intellectual prperty regime," reported a National Academy of Sciences Panel. Here's an example: Metabolite Labs was charged with attempting to patent a "law of nature" regarding relative levels of vitamins and amino acids. Their response? Attorney Glen Beaton said he would "call it a guideline of nature, more than a law of nature." The US Supreme Court has agreed to rule on the dispute. Science 4 & 25 Nov 2005. DarwinAwards.com © 1994 - 2005 Awful? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Great? Hate it! Love it!

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