Friendster’s bid to patent social networking

Thursday’s Wall Street Journal had an article that raised our brows. Friendster, the first of it’s kind social networking site (that everyone deserted for facebook and myspace) has been awarded  "a patent related to searching for people online based on their relationships."

The patent Friendster was granted last month covers "a method and apparatus for calculating, displaying and acting upon relationships in a social network" — in short, acting as a hub to connect Web users with common acquaintances.

Friendster’s founder Jonathan Abrams (who is now working on launching Socialzer) created the social networking tool that would lead to a new revolution and form the foundation of Web 2.0. Friendster is now refueling itself with money and talent to enter the market again. According to the article, Friendster also  recieved…

a "notice of allowance" from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office this week indicating that the company is likely to soon be granted a patent that covers technology that lets users upload their own content, like photos, onto a friend’s page.

The implications, as they unfold, will be interesting to observe. Article available for free today.