Google Just Patented the End of Your Website

This needs to be opt-in. If Google’s changing what a user sees when visiting a website, that raises all sorts of legal concerns unless the site’s owner has opted in. From copyright infringement to tortious interference with someone’s business, this idea that the patent just automatically means people can’t open a browser and see your website is just a nonstarter.

I’m sure Google understands this, but the author of the article over at Forbes seems oblivious to a company’s own interest in delivering their content to their audience.

Substantially more relevant reading on this topic (the patent in question): https://patents.google.com/patent/US12536233B1/en

FTA: "Google has legally protected the ability to do this."

Um, not quite, if read with one possible interpretation. (IP lawyer here.)

The patent: https://patents.google.com/patent/US12536233B1/en — see the claims, which are in the right-hand column of this Web page.

The patent means only that Google can sue people who practice the claimed subject matter without Google's permission.

That doesn't mean there wouldn't be other prohibitions and restrictions.

Example: Suppose you were to invent a drug that boosted IQ by 50 points, and body strenth and endurance by 80%, for 12 hours. You might be legally entitled to a patent for it. But you'd still have to get FDA approval to market the drug. (And your patent might be sidelined before issuance under a secrecy order because of the potential military applications — see, e.g., "The Rush to Patent the Atomic Bomb" (NPR.org 2008). https://www.npr.org/2008/03/28/89127786/the-rush-to-patent-t....)

And as others are pointing out, practicing the claimed method might constitute copyright infringement.

Oh, that's not as strange as it seems, I need to use Reader View in firefox so often it's not even funny. It's genuinely more pleasant for one, and for two some pages are so egregiously bad you just need it.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-reader-view-clu...

It's the next evolution of amp.

This seems like something a class action by a bunch of offended companies will make quick work of.

I also don't think regular users just want AI summaries of everything. That sounds like eating plain oatmeal for breakfast every morning. Devoid of fun and flavor.

I don't see how they'd possibly actually implement this without running into trademark infringement

So basically a watering hole attack.

I'm quite sure that it is a phony patent worth nothing.