DIY Photography, a popular photography blog, recently uncovered Amazon’s filing of a patent that would, if enforced, essentially give Amazon the intellectual rights to taking pictures in front of seamless white backgrounds.
The patent—titled “Studio Arrangement”—was filed in 2011, and detailed what’s essentially been the accepted method of taking studio photos against a white backdrop. As TechDirt reports, the highly technical process detailed in the patent goes something like this:
1. Turn back lights on.
2. Turn front lights on.
3. Position thing on platform.
4. Take picture.
…Not exactly rocket science, to be sure. The specifics listed in Amazon’s filing, however, would appear to render the patent itself unenforceable, as they’re not hard to get around. But that begs the question: Why even file in the first place?
More Must-Reads from TIME
- The 100 Most Influential People in AI 2024
- Inside the Rise of Bitcoin-Powered Pools and Bathhouses
- How Nayib Bukele’s ‘Iron Fist’ Has Transformed El Salvador
- What Makes a Friendship Last Forever?
- Long COVID Looks Different in Kids
- Your Questions About Early Voting , Answered
- Column: Your Cynicism Isn’t Helping Anybody
- The 32 Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2024
Write to Bijan Stephen at bijan.stephen@gmail.com