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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Patent Absurdity – Cereal Solidarity
Students host party to support local restaurateur

To protest anti-competitive patent laws, Florida Free Culture, a student organization at the University of Florida, is hosting a “Cereal Solidarity” party September 28 from 6-9pm at Bowls - A Cereal Joint at 13 W. University Ave.

The group will educate customers about patent law while enjoying cereal in the new downtown restaurant. Small bowls will be on sale for $1 during the party.

Bowls focuses on selling cereal, including mixing different cereals. But another company hopes to monopolize the idea by patenting it.

Cereality, the other restaurant, has locations in Arizona, Illinois and Pennsylvania. The company has applied for patents on various aspects of their business, including mixing cereals and adding milk.

“Cereality has resorted to patents to bully their competition,” said Gavin Baker, president of Florida Free Culture. “We want to show that Gainesville stands together when local businesses are bullied by bad laws.”

Free Culture will circulate a petition asking the Patent & Trademark Office to reject the patent and issue clear guidelines that business methods are not patentable.

“Business builds on good ideas. Without this freedom to build on the past, entrepreneurship is dead,” said Baker. “The Patent Office should eliminate business method patents to preserve innovation.”

Bowls is open 7 days a week, selling over thirty varieties of cereal, desserts, and other breakfast foods. The event is open to the public.

For more information about the event, visit: http://uf.freeculture.org/

Who: Florida Free Culture presents
What: Cereal Solidarity
When: Wednesday, September 28 from 6 - 9 p.m.
Where: Bowls - A Cereal Joint, 13 W. University Ave., (352) 338-8400
Objective: To support local business against patent bullies and educate the public about problems in patent law.

Contact:
Gavin Baker
(407) 929-5657
grbaker@ufl.edu

For more information, see “Serious Cereal”, by Brett Kelman and Chan Tran in the Sept. 15 Independent Florida Alligator.