EFF inaugurates "Stupid Patent of the Month"

Patent litigation reform failed to pass Congress this year, but the issue of "patent trolls"—paper companies that do nothing but sue over patents—received unprecedented attention. Activist groups that have been long focused on the issue, like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, don't want the public pressure to let up.

Hence, EFF's newest patent campaign: the group will be announcing a "Stupid Patent of the Month." For August, the group has nominated US Patent No. 8,762,173, titled “Method and Apparatus for Indirect Medical Consultation.” The patent issued in June, and it dates back to an original filing in 2007.