Pardon me if I sound contrary. Thought provoking opinons one and all. A piece of the truth seems to be in each. Sometimes I go contra-postional just for fun. Including the proper english comment ealier in the posting. I have found this group to be reasonably informed and well rounded. I will update on my continuing winding saga.
Thanks again to all. z
One more thing I wanted to add. After searching for all of my former employer's patents, I found one. It was not for their camera itself but for one use of the camera. It's a very narrow specialized use. I no longer have a problem posting the patent # online. I can't see how it could harm anyone.
(Take it from me. I know almost nothing about patents except how to spell patent.)
Dave
Sorry for the terrible grammar.
The whole patent issue is nebulous. Primarily it gives you the right to sue. There's certainly no guarantee that an attorney will guarantee success and any good one will readily tell you that. I'm not trying to tell you how to spend your money, I'm only suggesting that those of us who frequent a technical forum such as this one, however well intentioned we might be, can be a case of the blind leading the blind.
From:z snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com
That is a rolling wad of sh_t! They gave that a patent? they must be nutz! OK; then I claim pending application of the myriad creatures of hinduism to be patented for my use only by the US patent department! See figures [1-Infinity] in my imagination.
I must rely on art practice disclaimer...plus move to Mars!
If anyone is still interested... This will probably be the biggest patent squatter on my dreams.
Sorry if I acted out of line, but its healthy to let the id inside fuss a little bit...then move on. I give you all the right to psychically fart too! Lets not be too proper, it stiffles creativity.! z
What I was calling Patent Squatters is called Patent Trolls by Big Brother.
------------------------------------
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The high-tech industry calls them ''patent trolls'' -- people who get patents for products they never plan to make, just so they can sue for infringement if a company does turn out something similar.
That is how critics describe the inventor from Great Falls, Va., whom Internet giant eBay wants to take to the Supreme Court over online selling techniques he patented.
Now Congress, urged on by a coalition of high-tech companies that includes eBay, wants protection against such people.
''I think patent trolls are abusing the system,'' said Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, who wrote the bill.
The first major changes to patent law since 1999 are running into opposition from drug makers, fearful an overhaul could stifle their ability to bring innovative products to the market.
A bill introduced in the House on Wednesday would make it harder for patent-holders to get court orders to stop the sale of products that potentially infringe on their patents. Challenging a patent would become easier.
Also, the legislation would commit the U.S. to international standards on patent registration: The patent goes to the inventor who files first.
Smith, chairman of the House Judiciary subcommittee on intellectual property, co-sponsored the bill with the committee's top Democrat, Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif. A hearing was set for Thursday.
The Information Technology Industry Council, which represents eBay and other high-tech companies, says patent lawsuits in federal court doubled from 1,200 to 2,400 annually from 1998 to 2001.
''The broken patent system right now, and the rise in lawsuits, has unfortunately discouraged our companies from innovating, and patent trolls are gaming the system,'' said Josh Ackil, the group's vice president of government relations.
The boom of the 1990s led to a rush to patent new kinds of technology, some of which was poorly understood at the time, the industry says.
Unlike high-tech businesses, pharmaceutical companies do not have the same problems with ''patent trolls'' because drug formulas generally are more difficult to develop than computer technology.
''Any attempts to change or weaken current patent laws could have a profound impact on our companies' ability to create new innovative drugs and save lives,'' said Ken Johnson, senior vice president at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
Representatives of PhRMA, the Biotechnology Industry Organization, high-tech groups and others failed in recent meetings to reach agreement on possible changes to patent law.
A judges now can issue an order to protect patent rights. The House bill would allow orders only if the patent-holder would suffer irreparable harm without one.
High-tech companies contend that judges grant orders almost automatically, giving too much power to patent-holders.
But lawyers and small-time inventors like Tom Woolston of Virginia, who took on eBay, say court orders are not so common and that problem of patent trolls is exaggerated.
Woolston defended his five-person company, MercExchange, as a legitimate business that, before the court case with eBay, hoped to develop online sales techniques. EBay lost in a lower court and wants the Supreme Court to take the case.
The proposed legislation would favor big companies, Woolston said. ''If you didn't have your owner's right of patent -- which is the ability to stop somebody from using the invention -- how can a small company raise money to build an invention?'' he asked.
Yes I am still wondering what is out there. I am Moving foward with assembly jigs.
Cabling-Design.com Forums website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.