Photographers Howl at Amazon Patent of Decades-Old Idea

Robert Brunelli was quoted in a CNET article on May 11, 2014 about a patent Amazon won this year that covers a technique for taking photos with a no-fuss background. According to the article, Amazon’s patent raises questions the merits of the US patent system.

According to the article, it’s not hard to find an abundance of tutorials for the photography technique on the Internet. There’s plenty of jeering and fretting about the patent on sites like Photo.net forums and DP Review, an Amazon subsidiary, too.

“I would think one could find prior art that would bring the validity of the patent into question,” said Robert Brunelli, an attorney with Sheridan Ross.

Prior art refers to examples of the technique known before the patent application was filed — November 2011 in Amazon’s case.

“The technique is very specific about the placement of lights and other equipment. That should ease the minds of any photographers worried about a patent suit, Brunelli said, because they could sidestep liability by fiddling with the photography formula.”

To read the full article, click here.

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