Microsoft has been granted a patent on a system for tying the length of a button press to the action that button performs. The /. posting I picked this up from also points to an MSNBC article detailing the overload of the US Patent Office.
I can think of one good example of prior art that implements their "novel" invention off the top of my head. Have you ever played Metroid on the NES? The longer you hold the fire button, the more powerful the blast.
For a while now, I've wondered if the patent system is really relevant for it's intended purpuse anymore - to encourage innovation. Patents seem to be more about suing competitors out of business these days.
Software patents are particularly ripe for abuse. Given the pace of change, by the time the patent is granted the competitive advantage confered by the patent is probably already irrelevant.
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