Re: [telecom] End of a print publication and copyright comment [Telecom]

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- Wesrock
  
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posted
14 years ago

Sun, Aug 16, 2009 12:46 AM

Bell did take out patents -- or at least submit applications -- on
> some of the things that were published.

Companies cannot take out patents. Ther inventor takes out the patent and then assigns it to the compny. As I recall, either the BSTJ or the Bell Labs Record in each issue published a list of patents applied for and those granted, with the names of the inventors. I think this was done uniformly on all inventions that were patentable. Wes Leatherock snipped-for-privacy@aol.com snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com

- T
- Thad Floryan
  
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posted
14 years ago

Sun, Aug 16, 2009 3:38 AM

Companies, even US government agencies, can file a patent application on behalf of the inventor and have it assigned to itself (which is very common).

That was done, for example, by the AEC (Atomic Energy Commission) on behalf of Donald Wilkes, inventor of the Rolamite bearing at Sandia Labs. You can read that in the Scientific American short-article/-blurb from 1967 here:

- R
- Richard
  
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posted
14 years ago

Sun, Aug 16, 2009 6:35 AM

That's right. Patents are issued to individuals, not companies, and then assigned to companies. When I started to work at Bell labs in

1959, one of the many forms I filled out was a document assigning any patents I developed to AT&T. For this I was paid the princely sum of one dollar. Of course, the dollar was worth a lot more back then. :-) As I recall, the agreement also required me to offer to AT&T any patent I developed in my spare time at home. If they didn't want it, I could keep it myself.