Is it the end already?

Vertical job search engines have only just started yet already there may be a patent filed that could cause them some bother.  Joel Cheesman, over at Cheezhead has raised some interesting points | here it is! |

In summary, it is to do with spidering/aggregating job content.  Google Base won't be affected as they receive (job) data rather than go fetch it like Jobster and Indeed.  Now, if the patent does block Jobster et al it makes life pretty interesting - like maybe they will have to pay for content?  Not much maybe, but maybe something.  Or they stay as is until they have a 'Blackberry moment' until it is too late and out come the wallets.

What with the job boards losing content to the likes of Base, and now the aggregators possibly needing to change somewhat, the heat will be on to get the content. 

Imagine for one second that this weekend the moon is found to be made of cheese and, job aggregation is outlawed and ALL guilty parties have their spiders exterminated.  What then?  The employer then decides to auction off their content and the 'job sites' offer to pay a premium to have the content exclusively.  That then creates a massive land grab but hey, of course it won't happen.  Employers will continue paying to have their jobs advertised and we'll all wake up thinking it was just a bad dream......

Until tomorrow.