Congrats to the Legal System; You’ve Really Out Done Yourself

Just when you thought Amazon couldn’t get any bigger or more powerful, it did. As of this year, the United States has granted Amazon a patent that basically covers photographing a subject on a white background. I know, you’ve got to be kidding me, right? Sadly, it’s true, but I don’t know what’s worse: the fact that Amazon patented taking a picture on a white background, or the fact that the US patent system allowed for it.

Now, the patent itself is slightly more complex, describing a particular lighting technique used to blow out the background to allow the subject to pop, but when it all boils down, photographers have been using this exact technique for over a hundred years now.

Here’s a photo of the exact lighting setup patented by Amazon. You can also take a look at the patent itself to find out more about its specs. 

dpreview.com

Even though Amazon now has this new patent under its belt, I highly doubt it’s going to go around filing endless claims to photographers who may happen to continue using the technique. While that may be the case for Amazon, this whole ordeal has to make you wonder how far companies will be able to go with the US’ flawed patent system. It’s no longer working, and Amazon’s latest patent is a grade-A example of how ridiculous it is.