Newsgroups: comp.compression Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!batcomputer!cornell!wayner From: wayner@CS.Cornell.EDU (Peter Wayner) Subject: Re: How do I patent-proof an algorithm? Message-ID: <1991Apr8.161807.11318@cs.cornell.edu> Sender: news@cs.cornell.edu (USENET news user) Nntp-Posting-Host: horus.cs.cornell.edu Organization: Cornell Univ. CS Dept, Ithaca NY 14853 References: <1991Apr9.113446.24904@kcbbs.gen.nz> Date: Mon, 8 Apr 1991 16:18:07 GMT Lines: 30 Peter_Gutmann@kcbbs.gen.nz (Peter Gutmann) writes: > There's been a fair amount of discussion about the patenting of compression >algorithms (and all sorts of other algorithms) recently. Well I've got a >related question: What about anti-patenting something? Publication is sufficient. Many companies (like Xerox) have a Technical Disclosures Bulletin that they fill with information about discoveries they've made that they don't feel worthy of patenting. This "documents" that they made the discovery at a certain date and prevents someone from "rediscovering" the concept later and suing the company. You can do the same thing. Just publish. Of course the larger the circulation the better. >-- > Peter_Gutmann@kcbbs.gen.nz || peter@nacjack.gen.nz || pgut1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz > (In order of decreasing reliability) >Warning! > Something large, scaly, and with fangs a foot long lives between >and . Every now and then it kills and eats messages. If you don't >receive a reply within a week, try resending... -- Peter Wayner Department of Computer Science Cornell Univ. Ithaca, NY 14850 EMail:wayner@cs.cornell.edu Office: 607-255-9202 or 255-1008 Home: 116 Oak Ave, Ithaca, NY 14850 Phone: 607-277-6678