Re: [Patents] imagine...

["Nick Fleming" <Nick@bigfatpanda.fsnet.co.uk>]

> Just an unimplementable idea?
> 
> Imagine we would have 25 MEPs gathered to listen to one speaker,
> assisted by one or two computer professionals (really fast guys). Then
> take 7 minutes of speaking time to ask the MEPs to invent
> something, simply by asking them (holding up a portable computer) "What
> would you like this machine to do?"
> Then you would get at least 10 suggestions. During the talk the hackers
> would pick one of the ideas and implement it. Their work should be
> displayed on a screen on the side as it progresses.
> 
> When the talk is finished, the implementation is presented and simple
> questions asked like if there already exists EPO-patents covering this
> and how many questions to nature the hackers put when hacking.
> 

Ok.. (now I've stopped laughing at the 'really fast guys' bit :-) ).....
in order to produce an 'invention' on that timescale you would have
to use a 'component' / development tool based approach to build anything
(or at least a decent demo tool).
Since you would need to have the 'building blocks' in advance,
it would be possible to deliberately use components that are
covered by patents making the results of the demonstration look
slightly biased to say the least.

cheers.

Nick.