US grants patent for anti-gravity device

[WraithWarrior]

Interesting idea, who knows one day , with a Z.P.M attached it could work

I know, and they say it is slowing research

Its real i tell you, REAL

[Peoples_General]

:O Maybe StarGate is real and this dude is an Ancient! :O


lol

[Alexein]

Here's why we shouldn't let patents be given for things that aren't actually invented: Because if someone else does make it work then the previous patent holder owns it, even though the previous guy did jack.

So here's how it can be abused: I patent something like... A car that runs off of Hafnium fuel. I don't actually BUILD or even DESIGN the technology, i just put down a few ideas and a general direction of how it will work.

In actuality I haven't done anything except get a patent.

Then, a few years later, Mr. Super Genius actually DOES make it work, they work out the fundamental equations and science and expend the thousands of work hours to build it.

Now Mr. Super Genius goes down to the patent office hoping he can patent it and get credit for all of his hard work. SURPRISE!!! *I* own the patent, and therefore *I* get all the profit and all the credit for his work. *I* can even get a court order to shut down Mr. Super Genius' lab and TAKE all of his prototypes because he violated *MY* patent.


See how ridiculously unfair the granting of patents can be if the person applying doesn't actually build it?

Why should I be able to steal all of Mr. Super Genius' hard work just because I scribbled a half-assed outline of a concept?

Unfortunately this is how the patent system works at the moment. There are even whole companies devoted just to filing a bunch of "predictive" patents in the hope that someone ELSE will get the ideas to work and then the companies take their designs for the company's own profits. (usually these predictive patents are for things that are foreseeable, like say a patent for a cellphone with a new feature, usually not something as unforeseeable as antigravity.) This patent steaing industry is entirely legal and currently nets millions, and soon to be billions, in profits off of the hard work of others.


So to those that think we should allow granting of wild patents: Sure, as long as they prove they actually built it. Otherwise, it isn't fair to those that actually do.

oh well, off topic.

[Atlantis Starchild]

Science fiction is closer to reality than you think. See the following website:


http://www.zpenergy.com

http://www.zpenergy.com/backend.php

[WraithWarrior]

Here's why we shouldn't let patents be given for things that aren't actually invented: Because if someone else does make it work then the previous patent holder owns it, even though the previous guy did jack.

So here's how it can be abused: I patent something like... A car that runs off of Hafnium fuel. I don't actually BUILD or even DESIGN the technology, i just put down a few ideas and a general direction of how it will work.

In actuality I haven't done anything except get a patent.

Then, a few years later, Mr. Super Genius actually DOES make it work, they work out the fundamental equations and science and expend the thousands of work hours to build it.

Now Mr. Super Genius goes down to the patent office hoping he can patent it and get credit for all of his hard work. SURPRISE!!! *I* own the patent, and therefore *I* get all the profit and all the credit for his work. *I* can even get a court order to shut down Mr. Super Genius' lab and TAKE all of his prototypes because he violated *MY* patent.


See how ridiculously unfair the granting of patents can be if the person applying doesn't actually build it?

Why should I be able to steal all of Mr. Super Genius' hard work just because I scribbled a half-assed outline of a concept?

Unfortunately this is how the patent system works at the moment. There are even whole companies devoted just to filing a bunch of "predictive" patents in the hope that someone ELSE will get the ideas to work and then the companies take their designs for the company's own profits. (usually these predictive patents are for things that are foreseeable, like say a patent for a cellphone with a new feature, usually not something as unforeseeable as antigravity.) This patent steaing industry is entirely legal and currently nets millions, and soon to be billions, in profits off of the hard work of others.


So to those that think we should allow granting of wild patents: Sure, as long as they prove they actually built it. Otherwise, it isn't fair to those that actually do.

oh well, off topic.

Exactly, I know that Id be annoyed if that happened to me

Science fiction is closer to reality than you think. See the following website:


http://www.zpenergy.com

http://www.zpenergy.com/backend.php

See, this proves that we are the descendants of the Ancients

[Stricken]

It proves nothing

[WraithWarrior]

It proves nothing

Of course it does, it proves we are thinking in the right way in order to evolve maybe to ascention

[HirogenGater]

Can someone please come up with a working Zat now? I would really like one.

[PG15]

It's basically a taser, except it shoots energy bolts instead of...strings?

[GateNuts]

Here's why we shouldn't let patents be given for things that aren't actually invented: Because if someone else does make it work then the previous patent holder owns it, even though the previous guy did jack.

So here's how it can be abused: I patent something like... A car that runs off of Hafnium fuel. I don't actually BUILD or even DESIGN the technology, i just put down a few ideas and a general direction of how it will work.

In actuality I haven't done anything except get a patent.

Then, a few years later, Mr. Super Genius actually DOES make it work, they work out the fundamental equations and science and expend the thousands of work hours to build it.

Now Mr. Super Genius goes down to the patent office hoping he can patent it and get credit for all of his hard work. SURPRISE!!! *I* own the patent, and therefore *I* get all the profit and all the credit for his work. *I* can even get a court order to shut down Mr. Super Genius' lab and TAKE all of his prototypes because he violated *MY* patent.


See how ridiculously unfair the granting of patents can be if the person applying doesn't actually build it?

Why should I be able to steal all of Mr. Super Genius' hard work just because I scribbled a half-assed outline of a concept?

Unfortunately this is how the patent system works at the moment. There are even whole companies devoted just to filing a bunch of "predictive" patents in the hope that someone ELSE will get the ideas to work and then the companies take their designs for the company's own profits. (usually these predictive patents are for things that are foreseeable, like say a patent for a cellphone with a new feature, usually not something as unforeseeable as antigravity.) This patent steaing industry is entirely legal and currently nets millions, and soon to be billions, in profits off of the hard work of others.


So to those that think we should allow granting of wild patents: Sure, as long as they prove they actually built it. Otherwise, it isn't fair to those that actually do.

oh well, off topic.

Mr. Super Genius isn't that smart if he didn't think to have a patent researched before he spent thousands of hours and dollars developing a device that had already been patented.

Predictive patenting can work just as much for the inventor, and it isn't stealing to predict the development of said technology, it is simply claiming first rights. If the genius knows he can make it work he can let the paten holder know so, and negotiate a deal to work out the kinks.

On the other hand, the Super Genius can be sure to identify the specific nature of how he made the device work and patent that instead. Since the first patent was generalized, it cannot lay claim to the specific portion that makes the first patented idea work. That is why most new products, especially tech products, have several panents listed; each patenet covers a different aspect of the product.

If a guy has an idea in its final stage of development as he sees it then he has a right to protect that idea before he spends hours upon hours of his time working on the specifics to make it work. That way if someone else catches wind of the idea while he is still working on a working model he is a least partially protected, and can share in the profits gained from the products release.

The US patent office isn't concerned whether or not it will ever work.
The US patent office is only concerned whether or not the idea is new and original, and specific enough.

Leathal hit the nail right on the head.

Research, before you invent.....it's that simple. 'Nuf Said.

The APS needs to find better things to do with thier time than whine about this business.

[Alexein]

the patent system was supposed to encourage innovation by allowing those that spent the time and effort to get something to work to profit from it.

Instead the patent system is now discouraging innovation by getting people to race to file the first patent rather than racing to finish the first working design.

why bother continue innovating if someone else is going to get all the profits from your hard work?

Sure, you can negotiate, but negotiations don't always work.

And fighting it out in a court of law is long, expensive, and doesn't always get the results you want.

There are argument for both sides. if you think the current system should be kept exactly as is, sure.

In the meantime, we've got people dying of peanut allergies because the treatment for it, (a new monoclonal anti-body called TNX-901) is being tied up in patent disputes.

But hey, if people must die to protect such a patent system then i seriously need to reevalute my morals.