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From: nick@sunpix.east.sun.com (Nick England - Sun Visualization Products)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: Pixar's patent on stochastic image generation
Message-ID: <199@sunpix.East.Sun.COM>
Date: 1 Nov 90 20:55:12 GMT
References: <SP6RAAD@cs.swarthmore.edu> <67527@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> <1462@proto.COM>
Sender: news@sunpix.East.Sun.COM
Lines: 30

In article <1462@proto.COM>, joe@proto.COM (Joe Huffman) writes:
> 
> According to Title 35, United States Code, section 102 this is not quite
> true...  I quote:
> 
> 	102.  Conditions for patentability; novelty and loss of right
> 	      to patent.
> 
> 	A person shall be entitled to a patent unless--
> 
> 	(a) the invention was known to be used by other in this country, or
> 	patented or described in a printed publication in this or a foreign
> 	country, before the invention thereof by the applicant for patent, or

From what I have seen in recent years (z-buffer,paint,XOR, other
stupid patents) the Patent Office is looking only to see if the
idea is already patented - they have pretty much ignored the
general literature, SIGGRAPH, etc. as far as prior art goes. This
has led to some long legal battles with the patent holders
generally (unfortunately) prevailing. The result is that most
places are now patenting anything and everything no matter how
obvious or trivial or derivative, as a defensive matter.

Sad, sad, sad.
On the other hand, if I'd patented all the stuff that I had in
the old Ikonas graphics display, I'd probably be trying to
collect royalties and licenses too...

just my opinion
Nick England