I am not a lawyer, nor have I played one on T.V., but from what I've been told
by people who are lawyers, any material that has a verifiable date on it is
valid for both defending a patent, and challenging a patent.

If you have a design and have documents with a verifiable date, and some one
comes along at a later date and patents what you designed, you should be able to
challenge that patent.

This does not me that you can get the patent yourself or stop them from using
your design, but it does mean that they cannot stop you, or anybody else from
using your design.

-Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: Douglas Butler [mailto:dbutler@imetrix.com]
Sent: Monday, July 16, 2001 6:53 AM
To: PICLIST@mitvma.mit.edu
Subject: [OT]: Patents (was removing numbers from chips)


> In summary, a 'sealed envelope' is now next to useless for getting
> or challenging a patent in the USA.
>
How about getting your work published, does that still prove "prior
art".  If so how does web publishing apply?  I am mostly interested in
"defensive patenting" so someone else can't patent my work out from
under me.

Sherpa Doug

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