2012-09-20
Explanation
This comic plays on the classic genie-in-a-lamp scenario where the genie tells the man he may wish for anything except more wishes. The man, who appears to be a lawyer or otherwise legally minded, finds a clever loophole. He first wishes that the word "splork" were interchangeable with the word "wish." Then he makes a more elaborate wish: that the genie's initial injunction pertained only to the concept of wishing paired with the particular word "wish" as opposed to the concept itself, which was merely being signified by that word. Having established this linguistic and philosophical distinction, he then declares: "Annnd, I splork for infinite splorks." Since the genie only banned more "wishes" (the word), and "splork" now means the same thing but is technically a different word, the restriction no longer applies.
The comic ends with a yellow banner reading: "Fun Fact: All wish-granting beings are now owned by attorneys. (If you don't believe me, then explain the patent system.)" This punchline draws a parallel between the lawyer's exploitation of linguistic loopholes in wish-granting rules and how real-world attorneys exploit legal language in the patent system to gain outsized control over ideas and innovations.
The votey panel extends the legal satire further, showing a man saying: "Magic leprechaun, I'd like to be able to patent rounded corners," to which the leprechaun responds "Good God!" This is a reference to Apple's infamous design patents on rounded corners in smartphone design, which became a major point of contention in the Apple vs. Samsung patent disputes around 2012 when this comic was published.