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. 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