This is very smart, but also disappointed that he wants to patent it.

Maybe the patent pending didn't show because annotations are turned off on VS by default.

Well, it does offer more gluing surface than a straight V cut, and in various directions. Both of those things should add to the strength of the joint. That said, it does seem a repeating 'saw tooth' pattern might do even better.
Odd, on youtube, it did have a 'patent pending' notation when he showed the pattern/blade. I didn't see it when I watched it again here.

Very cool and very clever, but if the goal is speed and simplicity what makes it better than cutting a v-groove with a router and folding that together? Is it that much stronger? Seems like something worth patenting, but unless the shape isn't as relatively arbitrary as it seems, surely there is some variation on it that's better in some way, and could you patent that? Seems like it might be jumping the gun to announce it before iterating the design and perhaps applying some computer analysis.

Tina Fey is great, but I wish she'd stop the whole "I'm plain and unattractive and no man would want me" schtick. It's patently untrue and I know plenty of women half her age who would love to look that good.

My friend actually filed a patent for this exact system back in 2004, right down to the OLED visors: http://goo.gl/LfDDos

However, the cost of retaining a lawyer and the patent office's recurring fees and drawn out review process bled him dry. Just as he was getting close to finally registering it he fell on hard times and had to put the process on hold. As a result, his patent went into the public domain after 18 months. He was heartbroken and still is, especially now that this video is being shared everywhere.

As much as I love this idea and want to see it become a reality, I can't help but feel like this company got at least some of the details they needed from my friend's patent. It pisses me off that our copyright system screws over small inventors and gives those with plenty of money a free pool of research and hard work.

I don't believe for a second that any one of these 'officers' has never arrested anyone for marijuana. It's patently, unbelievably, ridiculous. If they really stopped people and took (then destroyed) their weed but didn't charge them with possession, technically that's THEFT and destruction of private property...ACTUAL crimes they expect will be ignored. ;-)
Hypocrites in the extreme.

Side note, 1 in 4 people have herpes. Please don't share smoking implements with other people, people. You never know where the last guy's lips have been. TOTALLY SERIOUS about that, you'll get the herps, then wish you had listened.

Actually there's an argument that software should be protected by copyright rather than patents.

While I agree that someone who comes up with a novel and interesting algorithm should have some protection, at this point, I tend to lean toward software patents doing more harm than good.

Basically, it should be a lot harder to get a software patent.

I don't imagine it'll be as easy as the video makes out (although I don't know the details of the law he talks about). There are surely genuine software (or otherwise non-physical) based innovations that should be protected as well as your standard notions of a patent.

I don't think anyone has a problem with someone with a product being protected. Patent law needs to be reformed to specifically exclude patents from non-producing entities.

It's worth pointing out there is a flipside to this. Small companies with genuine inventions and patents on those inventions often don't have the financial wherewithal to take on large companies that infringe on their intellectual property as those large companies could drag the litigation on for years and bankrupt the patent holder.

Instead, some of these companies choose to sell of their patent (while retaining exclusive use rights) to a patent aggregator for an up front fee, who specialised in this kind of litigation and expects to make their money back at the end of court proceedings.

*related Patent troll videos
http://videosift.com/video/Patent-Troll-Lawsuits-For-Making-Lists
http://videosift.com/video/How-I-Beat-A-Patent-Troll-Drew-Curtis-TED-Talk

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Patent Trolls has been added as a related post - related requested by eric3579 on that post.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Patent Trolls has been added as a related post - related requested by eric3579 on that post.

"Patent Trolls" - Sued For Making Lists has been added as a related post - related requested by eric3579.

"How I Beat A Patent Troll" - (Drew Curtis, TED Talk) has been added as a related post - related requested by eric3579.