Gift giving during the holidays just took on a whole new meaning. eBay, the parent company of PayPal, filed patent application 20130339188, “Gift Token” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on June 18, 2012. The USPTO published the application on December 19, 2013. The technology was invented by its engineers from Tamilnadu, India and assigned to eBay Inc. of San Jose, California. “…Products can be specified for which the token cannot be used to purchase. For example, a limitation upon the use of the token can specify that the token cannot be used for the purchase of alcohol or cigarettes. Rather than not allowing such items altogether, a limit can be placed on the amount of such purchases in a given time period. For example, $20 worth of beer and $10 worth of cigarettes can be purchased in one week…” http://bitcoinmagazine.com/9218/ebay-files-patent-application-programmable-money/
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According to Bitcoin Forum its December 20, 2013, 12:25:57 AM According to BitMit "Bitmit is shutting down on 2013 December 20th. We will leave the site some more days online because some users still need access! Please complete your orders and withdraw your funds asap!" ![Shocked](https://bitcointalk.org/Smileys/default/shocked.gif)
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So if those claims have already been rejected a few month ago , why is everybody freaking now?
Because it was "Refiled" and possibly amended? Because they are still attempting to patent it? Just because claims have been rejected doesn't mean that they don't possess technology. Is it vaporware? I dunno. Those dismissing patent because its from 1999 should also dismiss the U.S. Constitution because its from 1787 (and i'm sure that there are many who would like to). Bitcoin has been around since 2008/2009. Do I dismiss latest generation of Android because Android 1.0 was created in September 2008 like Bitcoin? The fact that JPM technology dates back to 1999 means they had that many more years to improve the underlying tech. However at the end of the day, all this lends credibility to Bitcoin.
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The United States Air Force has quietly been working on a Bitcoin payment gateway. Through an SBIR or Small Business Innovation Research grant to the Department of Defense, Utica New York based Critical Technologies Inc. has been working on a commercial product for the Air Force since applying for the grant back in 2012 (starting Fiscal Year 2013). http://bitcoinmagazine.com/8531/u-s-air-force-building-bitcoin-payment-gateway/
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Counterfeit walnuts are being sold in China Bitcoin is still impossible to counterfeit Is bitcoin replacing real estate as an investment in China...and why? https://medium.com/p/fa0fd62bfedf
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But the system is easily gamed. The seller can send an empty box, and provide a tracking number to the escrow company to "prove" that they sent the item and then it is the seller's word against the buyers word about what was in the box.
That would not have fooled Bitmit's Escrow system. They made individual inquiries in every case, AFAIK. A tracking number is $2 and proves nothing. In the case of starsoccer9, it absolutely did fool the "system" (which used to say that an empty unboxing video was sufficient proof of seller fraud). Bitmit attempted to revise history and claim this was never their policy, and effectively said that the tracking number alone was more proof that the item was delivered, than the unboxing video with the label still on, showing the seller & buyers' name/address, and tracking #, tape being cut away, revealing an empty box. Shortly after, the site starts shutting down. Scammit. I think everyone should take video of them packaging the item, and then SEALING it with serialized security tape, then LOOKING CLOSELY at the security tape, to make clear it's serial number on video, and then handing it off to a USPS employee, and FILMING them weigh it and paying for it, and continuing to film the employee take the package to the back of the building where the other packages ready to be shipped are located. Problem solved. Anatomy of a Scam: Sleeper Cells on eBay http://www.ecommercebytes.com/cab/abn/y13/m03/i13/s01Continued "More Transparency needed on eBay" http://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/abblog/blog.pl?/pl/2013/3/1363143352.htmlThe Video China Sleeper Cells on eBay "Android Mini PC Unboxing" http://youtu.be/69uKusLqwWw
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The IDESG or Identity Ecosystem Steering Group recently filed paperwork with the Commonwealth of Virginia to incorporate the IDESG as a nonprofit corporation. The IDESG was basically spun out of NIST or the National Institute of Science and Technology to “administer the development of policy, standards, and accreditation processes for the Identity Ecosystem Framework.” In April 2011, President Obama signed (PDF) the NSTIC or the National Strategy For Trusted Identities In Cyberspace... http://bitcoinmagazine.com/8132/obama-initiative-spawns-identity-based-bitcoin-greenlist/
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