TECHNET Archives

January 2000

TechNet@IPC.ORG

Options: Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Brian Ellis <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
TechNet E-Mail Forum.
Date:
Mon, 31 Jan 2000 16:31:43 +0200
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (173 lines)
Marc

Your bitterness is a little misplaced, IMHO. As a general rule, unless your employment
contract specifically states otherwise, the intellectual property of any invention you
make while in the employ of a company becomes automatically the employer's, even when
the invention is made outside of the place of work and in your own time. There are
megatonnes of jurisprudence in many countries accepting this principle. Even if you
were a zillionnaire you would not be able to persuade the courts otherwise. If you wish
a legal right to your inventions, you must specify this in your employment contract,
but you may not get the job :-(

Brian

Marc Auger wrote:

> Hello TechNetter,
>
> I personnaly dislike Patents, the companies I've worked for over the years
> have stolen dozens of my ideas, I've had personnal claims copied to
> oblivion, and since I don't have the money (Cause the company don't pay me
> enough on the cash-cows they took from me). Worse part is I can't do sweet
> f*** all about it.
>
> There is NO justice in the US or anywhere else in this world unless you
> already have the big bucks
>
> Also take the case of non-gasoline engines, you bet your boots that the
> petroleum companies will buy out any product that is a potential treat to
> their little environmentally unfriendly empire.
>
> Patents suck.... Big time!
>
> MA
>
> On Sat, 29 Jan 2000 12:47:23 -0000, Michael Fenner wrote:
>
> >  Carry on believing it, the essence of a patent is that it proves
> novelty/invention and
> >  subject artefact  is not based on prior art/common knowledge. The enemy
> of this is
> >  premature disclosure. Having said that, big money is changing this. In
> the US in
> >  particular companies now appear to be to be able to patent discoveries,
> (I refer to
> >  genetics), but that's a long way from electronic assemblies.
> >
> >  Incidentally my experience of protecting IP was that it  was better to
> copyright it.
> >  Certainly in program codes on projects we worked on, connecting our
> devices (or any
> >  product using our pirated code) to a PC com port  produced an on screen
> message stating
> >  stolen from "our name" also details of our legal representative.....
> >
> >  Mike Fenner
> >
> >
> >  ----- Original Message -----
> >  From: joyce <[log in to unmask]>
> >  To: <[log in to unmask]>
> >  Sent: 28 January 2000 20:42
> >  Subject: Re: [TN] patents
> >
> >
> >  > What is going on in the world?  I always believed that "common
> knowledge" is
> >  > not patentable.  Anything that were published prior to patent
> (application
> >  > file date) are not patentable.  That is why some of the industry guide
> their
> >  > dearest IP as "Trade Secret", the boardest possible claim as "patent",
> and
> >  > fight to publish papers if it is potentially might hurt the chance to
> get
> >  > some patent out (avoid it to become "common knowledge")...Is that all
> >  > changed lately?
> >  >                                     jk
> >  > At 07:39 AM 1/28/00 -0800, you wrote:
> >  > >No, patents are really quit useful. How else could you protect your
> >  > >investment of time and effort in inventing a new mousetrap.
> >  > >
> >  > >But a long time ago I was taught a few easy rules to determine whether
> or
> >  > >not an invention was worthy of a patent:
> >  > >        Is there no prior art?
> >  > >        Is the invention not obvious to someone skilled in the art?
> >  > >        Is the invention being reduced to reality? (are you "building
> a working
> >  > >one"; due diligence)
> >  > >And if I could answer those questions in the positive it would be time
> to go
> >  > >for it.
> >  > >
> >  > >The most used circumvention is of the third one and these days due
> diligence
> >  > >seems to stretch into many years and now the word used when one of
> those
> >  > >patents pops up after everyone has become accustomed to using the
> >  > >unannounced patent  is "submarine patent". (Is machine-vision one of
> those?)
> >  > >
> >  > >Ahne.
> >  > >-----Original Message-----
> >  > >From:   TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ryan Grant
> >  > >Sent:   Thursday, January 27, 2000 15:00 PM
> >  > >To:     [log in to unmask]
> >  > >Subject:        [TN] patents
> >  > >
> >  > >I hear you loud and clear Paul.  I'm not a fan of patents in general.
> >  > >ESPECIALLY when a tangible product is not made before the patent.  For
> >  > >example, the guy that has a patent on the vision systems used on pick
> and
> >  > >place machines.
> >  > >
> >  > >At the risk of being flamed, I think most patents get in the way of
> >  > >technological development.  Very few individuals hold patents; the
> company
> >  > >they work for hold the patent.  So in a sense, an individuals idea is
> being
> >  > >stolen by the company they work for anyway since that individual can't
> take
> >  > >their patented idea to the next company they work
> >  ... snip
> >
> >  ##############################################################
> >  TechNet Mail List provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8c
> >  ##############################################################
> >  To subscribe/unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with
> following text in
> >  the body:
> >  To subscribe:   SUBSCRIBE TECHNET <your full name>
> >  To unsubscribe:   SIGNOFF TECHNET
> >  ##############################################################
> >  Please visit IPC web site (http://www.ipc.org/html/forum.htm) for
> additional
> >  information.
> >  If you need assistance - contact Gayatri Sardeshpande at [log in to unmask]
> or
> >  847-509-9700 ext.5365
> >  ##############################################################
>
> _______________________________________________________
> Get 100% FREE Internet Access powered by Excite
> Visit http://freeworld.excite.com
>
> ##############################################################
> TechNet Mail List provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8c
> ##############################################################
> To subscribe/unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in
> the body:
> To subscribe:   SUBSCRIBE TECHNET <your full name>
> To unsubscribe:   SIGNOFF TECHNET
> ##############################################################
> Please visit IPC web site (http://www.ipc.org/html/forum.htm) for additional
> information.
> If you need assistance - contact Gayatri Sardeshpande at [log in to unmask] or
> 847-509-9700 ext.5365
> ##############################################################

##############################################################
TechNet Mail List provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8c
##############################################################
To subscribe/unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in
the body:
To subscribe:   SUBSCRIBE TECHNET <your full name>
To unsubscribe:   SIGNOFF TECHNET
##############################################################
Please visit IPC web site (http://www.ipc.org/html/forum.htm) for additional
information.
If you need assistance - contact Gayatri Sardeshpande at [log in to unmask] or
847-509-9700 ext.5365
##############################################################

ATOM RSS1 RSS2