Don't lose your patent rights!

Article Abstract:

Innovators in the computer industry must beware of the legalities that could lose them the right to patent their inventions. Inventors may have inadvertently waived their rights to a patent by publicly disclosing their invention more than one year before a patent application is filed. Public disclosure includes an offer for sale, a sale, a demonstration at a trade show, or an article describing the innovation. Premature disclosure can also jeopardize non-US rights, since many countries require absolute novelty. Another problem is that if another inventor applies for a patent on the same device at the same time, the patent office must decide which inventor is entitled to the patent. In the US, one must prove that they were the first to invent the device, rather than the first to file for the patent. Complete and accurate records of the invention's development must be kept. Developers interested in obtaining a patent should get advice on the subject as early as possible.

Computer industry, Patent licenses, Patent licensing, Patent law, Legal Issues, Guidelines

---

Japan and United States renew semiconductor pact

Article Abstract:

The United States and Japan renewed a five-year-old agreement on the trade of memory chips and electronic components. When US businesses complained in the mid-1980s that the Japanese were 'dumping' semiconductors in the US, or selling chips below fair market value, while the US faced obstacles in penetrating the Japanese market, the US government began a three-fold investigation. The investigations were resolved in a 1986 accord in which the Japanese agreed to allow the US greater access to the Japanese semiconductor market and the US agreed to suspend two dumping proceedings in exchange for the Japanese agreeing to maintain US prices of DRAMs and EPROMs at or above foreign market value. The agreement expired Jul 31, 1991, and the new one went into effect Aug 1, 1991. Unlike the predecessor, the new agreement does not set minimum prices for Japanese semiconductors sold in the US but allows the Japanese to monitor their output and pricing.

United States, Semiconductor devices, Japan, Electronic components, International trade, International competition (Economics), Market share, Semiconductor Device, Government Regulation, Japanese Competition, Domination, Pricing Policy

---

Computer-on-a-chip: Why so long to patent?

Article Abstract:

Gilbert P. Hyatt's 20-year successful effort to gain US patent 4,942,516 for a 'single chip integrated circuit computer architecture' (a microprocessor) reveals the need for adequate enablement documentation. The long process was a result of several factors. Hyatt made eight separate filings for the patent beginning in Nov 1969. The Patent Office did not believe that a single-chip computer could have been built in 1970 and Hyatt relied on documentation of the general state of the circuit fabrication technology to establish that the chip could be made. The final submission to the Patent Office resulted in the Mar 9, 1990, grant of the patent. Hyatt has two possible means of gaining from the patent: license it for royalties or sue chip vendors who Hyatt believes to be infringing on the patent. An infringement trial might result in testing the validity of the patent again.

Microprocessor, CPUs (Central processing units), Scientists, Computer history, Impact Analysis, History of Computing, Critique, Hyatt, Gilbert

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: How broad is your patent claim? Can you trust your aqueous system simulations? Communicate risk effectively
• Abstracts: Jobs at risk. Gallium arsenide shrinks power pack. Choosing the best battery for portable equipment
• Abstracts: Government oversight: fighting waste and fraud. Iraq goes wireless. Radio astronomy: new windows on the universe
• Abstracts: Jacob Rabinow: 326 patents and counting. The electronic motorist. Friendly adversaries help U.S. companies
• Abstracts: Putting the standards to work: personal computers, compact-disc players, and multimedia systems are some of the products using standard video formats

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.