http://www.boston.com/dailynews/183/world/Australian_lawyer_patents_whee:.shtml

Australian lawyer patents wheel

By Associated Press, 7/2/2001 03:36

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) It may have been around for centuries, but an Australian lawyer has patented the wheel, The Age newspaper reported Monday.

Melbourne lawyer John Keogh took out the patent to prove that a new patent system introduced by the government is flawed.

The government stopped requiring patent lawyers because of complaints that it was too expensive making it possible to patent anything, Keogh said.

''The patent office would be required to issue a patent for anything,'' he said. ''All they're doing is putting a rubber stamp on it.''

Keogh said he has no immediate plans to patent fire or crop rotation.

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2001