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It could be worse than that.....
"When two or more parties can spend lots of money to invent the same thing, and it depends solely upon who makes it to the patent office first, we have an unjust system"

There is a move afoot among big patent mills (e.g. Microsoft and IBM) that patents be granted to the first person or organization to file (as you pointed out), even if they didn't invent or develop anything. In other words, under such as system, you could make a very good living patenting other peoples inventions - you just have to file first.

The reason it costs so much to receive a patent is because currently the process is so cumbersome and filing requirements so arduous that an individual inventor must hire a patent attorney to have any hope of receiving a patent. Microsoft has dozens of such attorneys and they file and are granted roughly 1000 patents per year. If Microsoft (or others) sees something that you've invented and think that it's pretty good, you may find that they own your idea as they beat you to the patent office with a polished application.

This is not what the founding fathers intended, of course they didn't believe in perpetual copyright either, but that is the law of the land today.
Posted by: WiredGuy   Posted on: 05/28/07 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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What about HD-DVD?  Grayson Peddie | 05/25/07
since a patent application requires a working sample, we a assuming that  wessonjoe | 05/25/07
A working model...  GrizzledGeezer | 05/28/07
Target's patent was granted in Mardh 2006  WiredGuy | 05/28/07
Please.... Get the Tech right.....  nottheusual1 | 06/01/07
A Physical Working Model is Not Usually Required by the US Patent Office  Aquila_z | 05/28/07
Re: " a patent application requires a working sample"  ruffchaz | 05/29/07
Patent's So Generic, Like Saying Cats and Dogs are Both Animals! duh! happy  i2fun@... | 05/25/07
sick of the patent trolls  yurl2007 | 05/28/07
Totally agree  jasonshortphd | 05/28/07
Trolls vs. Pirates  Aquila_z | 05/28/07
Sorry but you're way off base on this rant  maldain | 05/29/07
I've copyrighted that statement!  Old Timer 8080 | 05/28/07
Blu-ray = a newer BETA video cassette  DarkShadowMaster | 05/26/07
VHS Disc?  Travasaurus | 05/28/07
VHS Disc  The_Quietman | 05/28/07
Price was the issue  kyron.gustafson@... | 06/01/07
Bluray = Broad industry support  bommai | 05/28/07
What makes DarkShadow think that?  1stcyberian | 05/28/07
Industry support doesn't matter  straybeat_z | 05/28/07
You forget the one largest industry  Species8472 | 05/28/07
The adult film industry isn't as much of an issue this time around...  voicebox5 | 05/29/07
It's too funny  straybeat_z | 05/29/07
Does not matter  wizardb@... | 06/18/07
Blu-Ray not long in the tooth  mdfischer | 05/28/07
Only one difference though  straybeat_z | 05/28/07
no actually nothing like BETA  bdmarsh | 05/28/07
Um, Sony DOES allow other manufacturers of Blu-Ray  voicebox5 | 05/29/07
Sony sued over Blu-ray  kevanf1 | 05/28/07
Not enough info to really judge...  rx7racer | 05/28/07
Not necessarily  Dr. John | 05/28/07
i have no pity for Sony  SO.CAL Guy | 05/28/07
patents cost upwards of $25,000  bcroner | 05/28/07
Capitalist scum?  1stcyberian | 05/28/07
And you are anti-human?  JohnBoyTheGreat | 05/28/07
It could be worse than that.....  WiredGuy | 05/28/07
You're joking, right?  FatherJ | 05/29/07
motiviational reflectivation  CrowdedCranium | 06/01/07
Aw, come on! He has a point--that is if patents DO cost this much  labarker | 05/28/07
Noble...?  leegee | 05/28/07
You are correct Sir  straybeat_z | 05/28/07
Holo Decks!  FiOS-Dave | 05/28/07
Holodecks?  leegee | 05/28/07
Holo-Decks  FiOS-Dave | 08/06/07
There is so much wrong with patent Law today...  Old Timer 8080 | 05/28/07
Remeber GIF  Marcwolf1960 | 05/28/07
So THAT'S what happened to GIF?!?  Jeff Hayes | 05/28/07
The GIF patent was "LZ" compression.  ProfessorJim | 05/28/07
how quaint  shraven | 06/01/07
Re:member GIF  PScooter63 | 05/28/07
The Beta / Blu-Ray mistakes are nearly identical  Klaatu51 | 05/28/07
There seems to be a bit of a difference here...  voicebox5 | 05/29/07
Don't let reality get in your way..  done@... | 05/29/07
Yeah I remember GIf's  robertcd@... | 05/28/07
Creating art vs creating recordings...  ProfessorJim | 05/29/07
There are vultures...  NoSchmo | 05/29/07
JVC VHS vs Beta Max  arobart | 05/31/07
That's why we have PNG  rattlesnake0407 | 05/31/07
Not entirely  Bill Timmins | 06/04/07

What do you think?

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