<div dir="ltr">There is another issue with patents, which is that they're usually seen from the side of inventors in developed countries. For projects like ours at Reacción (<a href="http://reaccion.net">reaccion.net</a>) the big issue was to generate international buzz in order to prevent the idea from being patentable in another country. Having our invention published in a newspaper in El Salvador might not turn up during a prior art search, for example, and I can see that as a big issue for small inventions in other developing countries, as to how they might defend themselves against patent trolls in countries like the United States.<br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 13 October 2016 at 10:58, Cláudio Sampaio <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:patola@gmail.com" target="_blank">patola@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><span class=""><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(53,28,117)"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)">On Thu, Oct 13, 2016 at 12:13 PM, Matt Maier </span><span dir="ltr" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)"><<a href="mailto:blueback09@gmail.com" target="_blank">blueback09@gmail.com</a>></span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)"> wrote:</span><br></div></span><div class="gmail_extra"><span class=""><div class="gmail_quote"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><p dir="ltr">Additionally, in theory the OSHW inventions should be unpatentable after they're publicized.<br></p>
<p dir="ltr">If I could change one thing about patents it would be that they are only enforceable if the patent holder is actively using the patent (like trademarks). It sickens me to see inventions put on a dark shelf just so they don't interfere with existing products. That's just me though.</p></blockquote></div></span><div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(53,28,117)">I do not know if I am adding noise to the OP's original question, but regarding the matter of protecting <i>from patents</i>, that is, you have an invention and you do not want someone patenting it, you have some kind of a safe haven in the RepRap Project. They seized the expiration of the dreaded stratasys FDM patent to popularize 3D printing, and they also have a beautifully written manifest against patents - <a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/Patents" target="_blank">http://reprap.org/wiki/<wbr>Patents</a> - but not only that: as they provide a historical account of many inventions in open space, inventors use their wiki to document all their ideas, endeavour and experiments to be used as "prior art", the one thing that can invalidate a patent after it has been applied or registered. You just go there and document your invention as thoroughly as you can, with photos and even videos, and it will stay there, and if someone patents it, you just provide this source as prior art in the court.</div><br></div><div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(53,28,117)">Patents are horrible things that are halting technological development everywhere.</div><br></div><div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(53,28,117)">Regards,</div><br></div><span class="">-- <br><div class="m_4988919431974376043gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div>Cláudio "Patola" Sampaio<br>MakerLinux Labs - Campinas, SP<br></div><div><a href="mailto:patola@gmail.com" target="_blank">Gmail</a> - <a href="mailto:patola@techtraining.eng.br" target="_blank">Mail EAD</a> - <a href="mailto:patola@makerlinux.com.br" target="_blank">MakerLinux</a> - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/makerlinux" target="_blank">YOUTUBE</a>!<br><a href="https://www.facebook.com/patolinux" target="_blank">Facebook</a> - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/makerlinux" target="_blank">Facebook da MakerLinux</a> -<a href="http://buscatextual.cnpq.br/buscatextual/visualizacv.do?id=K4763932Z5" target="_blank"> Lattes</a><br><img src="https://docs.google.com/uc?export=download&id=0B8WZj6JJHZDwbmhXNWR6OXlOVDg&revid=0B8WZj6JJHZDwSDhEekpVU2k5K1J4VVdzb1NKU1pKWHZ2NFprPQ"><br></div></div></div></div></div>
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