[Patents] Re: On GPL Ideas and Limited Software Patentability

[rjriley@rjriley.com (Ronald J Riley)]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Roland Orre" <orre@nada.kth.se>
To: "Gregory Aharonian" <srctran@world.std.com>
Cc: <orre@neurologic.org>; <orre@neurologic.se>; <epo@mlist.austria.eu.net>;
<patents@aful.org>; <sf@fermigier.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2001 8:00 PM
Subject: Re: On GPL Ideas and Limited Software Patentability


<<Mr Aharonian, as you certainly understand, point 2) above is enough
for sueing you. Instead of filing a patent application I will
investigate the legal ways of sueing you now, for offending me and
my intelligence in a public environment.>>

Regardless of race, environment, etc. - most all inventors suffer from big 
egos
which are often engaged before they think.  In many ways inventors are their 
own
worst enemies.

Look at what Mr. Aharonian had to say about enabling inventions.  American
patents are generally allowed to contain much more material than their none US
counterparts.  In fact, it is law that the inventor must disclose best mode.  
It
sounds like you are suggesting that you are not going to disclose best mode,
perhaps in favor of treating some of the material as a trade secret?  Well, if
you do that with a US patent it is grounds to invalidate the patent.  make no
mistake that if you do get a patent, and if that patent has any value, that an
opponent will uncover your comments on Internet and much more.

And you belief that you know the field so well that there could not possibly 
be
art you are unaware of is a joke.  Inventions have a season, and generally 
many
people think of the same invention when the time is ripe.  But only one will 
be
the first to disclose that invention in their patent.

Rather than looking for what to take offense to we all need to be separating 
the
gold from the chaff, ignoring chaff and ego in favor of concentrating on the
gold nuggets which are often hidden in such posts.  That means suppressing the
ego in favor of learning what we need to succeed in a very difficult business.

This kind of bluster and posturing only makes the poster look foolish in my
view.  Come on, you are going to make four or five trips to the US to sue Mr.
Aharonian, and spend at least $10,000 in legal fees?  Get real.

The reality is that the remarks we all make on public forums are often
accessible for many years, even decades, to other people.   I know for a fact
that many patent attorneys on US based inventor forums take note of how the
inventor handles themselves on those forums.  And the opinions they form 
impact
rather they accept those inventors as clients, doubly true when we are talking
contingency litigators.

Now will you recognize constructive criticism when you see it, or is my post
going to be cause to threaten to sue me also.

Ronald J. Riley  www.InventorEd.org/