This is exactly what is wrong with the Patent system in the United States. Apple is being sued by a company called EMG Technology for the manner in which the iPhone formats and zooms in on content when a user browses a website using the device.

To start, mobile devices have reformatted data for almost a decade now. In a previous life a company I worked for deconstructed data and made the content presentable for mobile devices during that time period. As TechCruch points out, that in and of itself – the existing technology – should seem to invalidate the patent just issued.

I had a big problem with the RIM / NTP lawsuit in which a patent holder was awarded $612.5M dollars all because the blackberry devices had a “scroll” wheel on the side. To me, and I understand I know nothing, but that seems like a poor use of common sense on the side of the law.

Major patent reform is needed to prevent common sense from being a liability and to cut down on individuals (and companies) who’s main point of existence is to have a patent library they hope to use as a form of business terrorism.