well, someone is pulling all the "stops" ... even in private sector... (BMWs) http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,33937,00.html http://www.sjmercury.com/business/top/034037.htm jk At 02:36 PM 2/1/00 -0000, you wrote: >Hi All, > >Before anybody else jumps on the 'bash the government employees' party train >I have questions: > >How would you change the whole patent process thing to make it better? > I thought it's purpose was to protect inventor's rights. >How do we pay for it? > >I certainly didn't hire on with the Air Force because I can't compete in >private industry. 6 years at the University of Southern California didn't >teach me to be mediocre. Heck, I succeeded in the nonprofit world for four+ >years but maybe I'm an exception to that rule. (I will neither confirm nor >deny the existence of 'driftwood' in the Federal System. Those who know >know and those who don't know, consider yourselves lucky.) Rudy didn't >intend it as a personal attack and I don't take it as one. > >Let me turn it around even further. The Air Logistics Center, where I work, >needs to hire hundreds of engineers in the next few years - EE, ME, IE, >CE/CS. Entry level engineers with the government make around $28k, private >industry starts $14k above that. We don't just need recent college >graduates either, the average age of engineers is 46.5 with 16 years >experience. If you were us how would you do it? Could you do it? > >We have signing bonuses, we pay the moving expenses, the area is absolutely >gorgeous - a great place to raise the kids but no company stock options and >no quarterly bonuses. If we had those monetary incentives our Federal taxes >(or the patent fees . . . ) would go up, right? > >Hans > >~~~~~~~~ >Hans M. Hinners >Materials (& Process!) Engineer >Warner Robins - Air Logistics Center/Avionics Production Division >Manufacturing Branch (LYPME) >380 Second Street, Suite 104 (Building 640) >Robins AFB, GA 31098-1638 >912-926-1970 (Voice) 468 - 1970 (DSN) 912-926-7164 (Fax) >mailto:[log in to unmask] > > > > > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: <[log in to unmask]> [SMTP:[log in to unmask]] >> Sent: Friday, January 28, 2000 04:38 >> To: [log in to unmask] >> Subject: Re: [TN] patents >> >> A little insight from someone who has been in the patent trenches, and >> understands the wars: >> >> First, remember that a patent is like a banner, telling the entire world >> the >> central, most important parts of your invention, all must be revealed, and >> nothing remains hidden. >> >> NOTHING prevents someone from looking up your patent, and copying exactly >> what you are doing. (Except of course that it is illegal, and for many >> people, this is a detail) >> >> It is your responsibility to PROVE that they are violating your patent, >> and >> this can take years, and a lot of money. Patents have been called the >> "Full >> Employment Contract for the legal community", and this is especially the >> case >> in the US. >> >> All of the above starts to make the concept of a trade secret much more >> appealing, UNLESS it is immediately obvious by looking at the finished >> product that your patent is being violated. If your patent is simply a >> better way to arrive at the same product, you are probably better off >> keeping >> it a trade secret. >> >> Lastly, remember, the patent offices are staffed by people who cannot/do >> not >> want to be in the highly competitive commercial world, and the law is so >> arcane, and archaic, that it is years behind the rest of the world. My >> company has abandoned patent applications simply because we could not get >> the >> patent office to understand the concept of what we are patenting. >> >> Very obvious things have been patented. We have been sued over things >> that >> we thought were so obvious that they could not be patented. In some >> cases >> two patents have been issued for essentially the same idea. The patent >> office is not full of the brightest lights in the world, and NOBODY ever >> got >> fired from the government for being dumb. >> >> Rudy Sedlak >> RD Chemical Company >> > >############################################################## >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. 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