<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:small">I just sat through a patent presentation at work, and they were saying patents were 20 years - <br><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:small">
from <a href="http://uspto.gov">uspto.gov</a>:<br><br><p>How long does patent protection last?</p><hr><p>For applications
filed on or after June 8, 1995, utility and plant patents are granted
for a term which begins with the date of the grant and usually ends 20
years from the date you first applied for the patent subject to the
payment of appropriate maintenance fees. Design patents last 14 years
from the date you are granted the patent. Note: Patents in force on June
8 and patents issued thereafter on applications filed prior to June 8,
1995 automatically have a term that is the greater of the twenty year
term discussed above or seventeen years from the patent grant. </p><br></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all"><div>Pete Hardie<br>--------<br>Better Living Through Bitmaps</div>
<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Feb 15, 2013 at 6:24 PM, Alex Carver <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:agcarver+ale@acarver.net" target="_blank">agcarver+ale@acarver.net</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
On 2/15/2013 11:48, Ron Frazier (ALE) wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
I can see both sides of the fence. I tend to think software patents<br>
should be eliminated or severely curtailed. Things like virtual lab<br>
test instruments muddy the waters, where, the instrument IS the<br>
software program, and it's just attached to a bit of I/O conditioning<br>
circuits. I tend to think patents should be substantially reduced in<br>
the modern world.<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
How much more do you want them to be reduced? They've been reduced in lifespan twice already. Early on patents could be renewed indefinitely in increments of around 10 years (maybe 12, I have to go look again). Then the renewal was limited to once. Now patents are good for seven years with no renewals permitted.<br>
<br>
In addition, there are two types of patent filing methods in the US and the choice determines your protection status overseas. If you file a regular patent without disclosing anything ahead of time, you get seven years of patent protection and the patent is recognized overseas and can be fought overseas. However, if you go with an alternate route of a provisional patent, you forfeit the overseas protection in favor of rapidly acquiring (rapid being about a month instead of a year or more) US-only protection for one year while still filing the regular patent.<br>
<br>
I've gone through this process once already and am doing it again shortly at least twice more. Shorter than seven years does not make the cost and headache of even the patent process worth it. It took nearly a whole year with lots of letters, filings, signatures, rebuttals, and a handful of patent attorneys to get one through. Total expense so far is approaching $50,000 just for the cost of acquiring the patent.<div class="HOEnZb">
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