This is one of the most stupidest things I've ever heard.
If this was put out on 1st April it would have been a good April Fool.
What on earth is the point. One stupid out of touch executive has managed to persuade another stupid idiot at the patent office, using the Hathaway name and influence, to get this through.
How on earth can you patent a trend and practise that is more than a decade old, used by hundreds of millions of businesses worldwide, to one business.