ATS: U.S. Department of Homeland Security Now Enforcing Patent Law?

Perhaps John Kerry's desire to see terrorism return to a nuisance-level issue has become reality. It appears the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is so lacking for something productive to do, it's forcing toy stores to comply with patent law. I guess there are two important questions here. 1- If the DHS has time to investigate and enforce patent-law at the small-store level, can we assume that the threat of global terrorism is not what we're being told? 2- If the DHS is unable to properly research a patent (simple to do with Google), how can we feel comfortable in their fact-finding skills related to terrorism intelligence? Related News Links: www.miami.com www.oregonlive.com abcnews.go.com

woa woa woa....



There's no way this violated the Rubic's cube patent...NO WAY..even if it hadn't expired.

www.mathematische-basteleien.de...

Weird weird weird

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord
can we assume that the threat of global terrorism is not what we're being told?

People have been detained but not prosecuted.
Toys have been effectively targeted and the law applied.
Inescapable conclusion: either the terroris threat is a way to make peopel scared, or the DHS is not capable of handling the threat, or their talents are a cleverly hidden secret too important for you and I to know.


How do people accept this stuff?

It's all about seeing what people will accept.

Homeland Security is testing its powers. Seeing what the people will put up with. Sure they could have found out the patent had expired. Sure they could have stopped the maker of the toy at the source and sent a nice fax to the retailers to return the toys and not sell them.

But no, they chose to perform a nice police state action by sending in a couple of muscle heads to visually make sure the owner physically removed the toys. How intimidating is that to have to be supervised by agents to remove some toys?

Its a test. I mean heaven forbid, should these brave homeland security agents go to a gun shop or gun trade show and look for some kind of banned weapons of some sort. They can be big men at the toy store.
Who would truly have bigger balls, the toy store owner, or a gun store owner?

All is proceeding according to plan. Homeland Security and all the other new "anti-terrorist" laws were designed to protect corporate America. And they're doing just that.

Originally posted by CAPT PROTON
It's all about seeing what people will accept.

Homeland Security is testing its powers.

I agree, however I'd be more willing to believe that they're simply expanding their powers more than testing them. I'm not sure if they care what the people of the US think or feel.

Who else is ready to take our chances and go back to the way it used to be?
hummm
between not prosecuting even one terrorist since patriot act
and the limitless cases that are coming up with federal agents abusing their newly found power...
IMO that it is a worthless diversion that just sacrifices our rights and makes the USA into a country the terrorists will like and respect (evil)... rather than envy and be jeolous of (good)...
thisis just another example of DHS not doing the job they are paid to do, and doing things that they shouldn't...

[edit on 29-10-2004 by LazarusTheLong]

There are only three words that can come to my my mind. Those three words, in no particular order are "hell", "the", and "what"

Originally posted by LazarusTheLong
Who else is ready to take our chances and go back to the way it used to be?
[edit on 29-10-2004 by LazarusTheLong]

Well, I think that most of us here would rather take an occasional black eye in exchange for freedom, but something tells me that what WE want means very little in the end. This is probably about far more than just terrorism.

I have in the past compared our system of government to a corporate communist system. This pretty much confirms my thinking.

Originally posted by Indy
I have in the past compared our system of government to a corporate communist system. This pretty much confirms my thinking.

I know we're not supposed to waste airtime(?) on dittos, but I too have made that comparison. ...and had to explain myself.

Such store owners should start to sue DHS. Federal government, unlike the states, has no immunity from civil suits. At the least there is the issue of negligence in not properly investigating patent status. Secondly, can they show a complain or a suit regarding paten infringment was handed to them to follow up? Then is that even withing their legal jurisdiction?

If this is a true case congressmen need to be called as well as a civil action sought by those abused by DHS.

P

FYI the page expired, and every other source I came across linked to the exact same expired link.

I remember reading this story when it first hit, so I know it's real, but a functioning link might preclude questions of authenticity down the road.

God forbid this incident gets forgotten, it should be forever remembered as one of the low points in the DHS's short and pointless existence.

Customs is now under DHS instead of the Treasury after the federal reorg, so if this was imported, which it appears to be from Valhall's link, it certainly would be under DHS's jurisdiction.

[edit on 7/18/2005 by djohnsto77]