Patently Crazy(?)

Let’s get the definition out of the way first, shall we?

patent
noun |ˈpat(ə)nt| |ˈpeɪt-|
1 a government authority to an individual or organization conferring a right or title, esp. the sole right to make, use, or sell some invention

Right then, with that in mind I would now like you to read this article.

So what exactly is it that the patent covers?
In the film it’s a bit of paper that’s found in an unearthed time capsule that contains numbers. These numbers are then analysed and found to be of historical significance.

So, I’m guessing that for this patent to actually be used as grounds for suing then it must cover the writing down of numbers on a bit of paper.
I’m sorry, when did that become grounds for suing? I’m pretty sure there’s at least one or two examples of prior art concerning the use of written numbers on a bit of paper.

I’m sure the people that got the patent granted to them did so on sound knowledge and principles of originality *cough* but come on!
For crying out loud, everyone from mathmaticians to bingo players would have to be sued to uphold the rights of this particular patent holder.

I’m all for the intellectual property of originators to be upheld if proper infringing of those rights has taken place, but I really do hope that this case gets laughed out of court.