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From: magik@chinet.chi.il.us (Ben Liberman)
Newsgroups: comp.compression
Subject: Re: How do I patent-proof an algorithm?
Message-ID: <1991Apr11.033256.28983@chinet.chi.il.us>
Date: 11 Apr 91 03:32:56 GMT
References: <1991Apr9.113446.24904@kcbbs.gen.nz>
Organization: Chinet - Chicago Public Access UNIX
Lines: 21

In article <1991Apr9.113446.24904@kcbbs.gen.nz> 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?  Lets say I've  
>developed a new super-duper compression algorithm which compresses twice as  

This was done by the folks at Bell Labs in the early 60's (?) with the
transistor.  They published the info plus every possible combination of uses
that they could come up with.  This gives the author up to 1 year in which
to file for a patent.  This prevents other people from being able to get a 
patent.  If someone else anticipated you and already built the same device
and sold one or more of them, then they have prior rights to file for a 
patent. 

This won't stop someone from comming along and improving on your idea and then
patenting the improvemt, though.

-- 
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	Ben Liberman    USENET    magik@chinet.chi.il.us