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Town Gets Patent On Being the Center of Europe 169

Posted by samzenpus
from the continental-drift-be-damned dept.
An anonymous reader writes "And you thought software patents were going to far? How about geography patents? Apparently, as a part of the weird fight over what place in Europe represents the 'geophysical center of Europe,' the Austrian town of Frauenkirchen has received a patent (Austrian patent AM 7738/2003) declaring it the center of Europe. Not clear how one 'infringes' on such a patent, but then again, it's not clear why anyone's patenting this either."
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Town Gets Patent On Being the Center of Europe More

Town Gets Patent On Being the Center of Europe

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  • Re:When Turkey gets the go ahead (Score:3, Informative)

    by gsslay (807818) on Monday August 16 2010, @12:51PM (#33265134)

    EU != Europe

  • Re:Doubtful (Score:3, Informative)

    by Dachannien (617929) on Monday August 16 2010, @01:12PM (#33265364)

    The Austrian Patent Office website is pretty obtuse to navigate, but if you manage to find [patentamt.at] the search page, you can put "7738/03" in the trademark search box and get this result:

    Anm.: IMAGEWORX MEDIENPRODUKTIONS-, VERLAGS- UND EVENTMARKETING GMBH *FRAUENKIRCHEN ^ST. MARTINSGASSE 5

    Vertr: ZUST.ADR.: CORINO FABIANI *A-7132 FRAUENKIRCHEN ^ST. MARTINSGASSE 5

    So there is at least some truth to the story, inasmuch as someone has registered a trademark there. But not a patent.

  • Re:When Turkey gets the go ahead (Score:4, Informative)

    by Attila Dimedici (1036002) on Monday August 16 2010, @01:52PM (#33265894)
    As someone else pointed out, the geographical meaning of "Europe" is a reference to the continent of Europe. Historically, it is only recently that "Europe" had any meaning other than this geographical meaning. While the exact geographical area denoted by the word "Europe" has changed over time, that particular usage of the word goes back to at least Herodotus. Additionally, the modern definition of Europe as a continent is actually based on physical facts.

  • Re:Doubtful (Score:3, Informative)

    by GumphMaster (772693) on Monday August 16 2010, @05:58PM (#33268880)
    He was actually a German-born Swiss patent clerk. Einstein renounced his German (Württemberg) citizenship in 1896 (avoiding military service) and took up Swiss citizenship in 1901 (and was stateless in between). Swiss citizenship was a requirement of employment in the Swiss patent office, which he started 1902. In order to take up a post in Prague, then part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, he took up citizenship there (circa 1911). So, at least for some of his life he was "Austrian", although not in the modern sense of Austria and never while working at the Swiss patent office. He later resumed German citizenship (without ceding the Swiss) in order to take up a post in Berlin.

Many are called, few volunteer.