This is too funny: US Patent Application 20060288329 was published a few days ago. The abstract starts with this:

A content syndication platform, such as a web content syndication platform, manages, organizes and makes available for consumption content that is acquired from the Internet.

So let me get this straight: the patent is about a system (a syndication platform) that manages content acquired from the internet and makes it available. Hmm... surely not? What's the very first claim?

1. A system comprising: one or more computer-readable media; computer-readable instructions on the one or more computer-readable media which, when executed, implement: an RSS platform that is configured to receive and process RSS data in one or more formats; and code means configured to enable different types of applications to access RSS data that has been received and processed by the RSS platform.

So it's a content management system that gets RSS data and reformats it for other applications. Right.

And who was it assigned to? Microsoft Co.

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