[News.eclipse.foundation] Re: [LEGAL] - Scared About Patents!

["Tal" <shabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,
If I understand patent correctly, when one post file a patent it has to
answer some ground rules. One such is innovation.
If you posted you're thoughts here and someone made a patent out of it you
can sue him and his patent will be cancelled.

But, I'm not a lawyer...

Tal.
þþ"Mike Milinkovich" <mike.milinkovich@xxxxxxxxxxx> ëúá áäåãòä
news:ckk6ra$b5$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Ilias,
>
> I doubt very much that the Eclipse Foundation will be providing this
> information. We cannot provide legal advice to anyone....which is
basically
> what you are asking for below.
>
> As one concrete example, deciding whether something is prior art is
> extremely complicated, and requires the judgement of professional
attorneys.
>
>
> "ilias" <ilias@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:opsfoy6pvwrp2aut@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > Whilst thinking about an highly integrated developement-environment
> (Collaboration and Governance Infrastructure) many ideas come into my
mind.
> [basicly they are 'lurking around' in my mind since years. Just eclipse is
> the first system where they become applicable].
> >
> > I have generally not a problem to share ideas, even if they have the
> nature of "beeing something new".
> >
> > Increasing efficiency of some of todays open source collaborative
projects
> would increase their developement throughput, thus in around 2 years i'll
> get multiple times back what I have 'invested'.
> >
> > But i am afraid about one issue:
> >
> > Patents!
> >
> > If I remember right, there was something about a patent-claim, a simple
> TODO list.
> >
> > Seeing that a company patents something similar to "making a shopping
> list" makes me scary.
> >
> > -
> >
> > My questions are basicly:
> >
> > If an idea is published within an open source project, does this
> automaticly set a patent-relevant "timestamp" for this idea, which
prevents
> other companies from patenting this idea?
> >
> > Or must one provide specific code for the implementation of an idea
> (published within an repository)?
> >
> > I mean, if one provides a really new and good idea, how is it ensured
that
> the contribution is "public" and thus protected from beeing copied and
> patented by a smart grabbling company?
> >
> > -
> >
> > I would like to see an foundation like eclipse to inform the
contributors
> clearly about such issues, ideally in an simple to read (example based)
> document (which links to some more detailed content).
> >
> > Initially, a pointer to a _compact_ document would help, too.
> >
> > .
> >
> > -- 
> > http://lazaridis.com
>
>