From phm@a2e.de  Thu May 10 14:26:38 2001
From: phm@a2e.de (PILCH Hartmut)
Date: Thu, 10 May 2001 15:26:38 +0200 (CEST)
Subject: [Patents] priorart.org no thank you
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SOL.4.30.0105091427220.414-100000@faun.nada.kth.se>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.31.0105101521590.27944-100000@querty.oas.a2e.de>

> I agree with both of you, and wise thinking is needed, depending on
> each person's goals.
..
> This is my suggestion:
> ALWAYS publish your ideas at dejanews, whatever idea, algorithm or
> solution to a problem it could be.
>
> In case you really need to urgently avoid someone patenting your idea,
> or "idea modules", as in my case, and you can afford the cost, publish
> at foresight.

While that sounds sensible, there is still another danger involved in
publishing at foresight.

If something like priorart.org can work at all, it will become an archive
of the newest patent-relevant ideas.  Which will mean that those eager to
patent around those ideas will be watching the site closely and timely,
taking advantage of hole in your disclosure for filing a follow-up patent
immediately.

In that case you might be better off if you publish only at a less visible
place on DejaNews or on a time-stamped CVS tree.  While you risk that
someone will get an invalid patent and cause trouble, at least you stand a
high chance that

- you won't be the target of the attacks from the invalid patent
- free software won't be the target
- there will be no nasty (and valid!) follow-up patents

-phm



