Amazon just scored a new patent based on discussion forums when it deals with a product or "item".
So if you have a product line of herbal supplements and if you say "Discuss this item in our Forum", you theoretically would be breaking the patent law....
Check it out....chalk this one up to another in a long line of stupid patents.......
"Method and system for conducting a discussion relating to an item
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Abstract
A method and system for conducting an electronic discussion relating to a topic. The discussion system of the present invention receives a selection of an item that is to be the topic of the discussion. The discussion system then receives comments relating to the selected item and generates a message that includes a description of the selected item and the received comments. The discussion system then sends the generated message to participants of the discussion. The discussion system receives from a participant who received the generated message additional comments that are to be added to the generated message. The discussion system sends the generated message along with received additional comments to the participants of the discussion. "
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-P...S=PN/6,525,747