4 ms·

GIF patents are expired I believe, but I dont' think MP3 is safe until 2018. This patent, for example, doesn't expire until near the end of 2017: https://www.g

by TheDong 10y ago

GIF patents are expired I believe, but I dont' think MP3 is safe until 2018. This patent, for example, doesn't expire until near the end of 2017: https://www.google.com/patents/US5703999?dq=5,703,999 https://www.google.com/patents/US5703999?dq=5,703,999 Edit: This is supported by the wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP3#Licensing.2C_ownership_and_legislation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP3#Licensing.2C_ownership_and... > In the United States, the technology will be substantially patent-free on 31 December 2017 (see below). The majority of MP3 patents expired in the US between 2007 and 2015

yuhong 10y ago
The expiration date is wrong. Even before 1995, it was 17 years after publication or 20 years after priority date.
- TheDong 10y ago
  Fine, another example: https://www.google.com/patents/US5924060 https://www.google.com/patents/US5924060 This one was filed in 97 so +20 is 2017 (because the 20 years is from filing date, yes?)
  - yuhong 10y ago
    I think it is priority date, which is often the filing date of the earliest patent in a chain of continuations. For fun trivia, look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_patent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_patent
  - redcap 10y ago
    It's from the priority date, which was Aug 29, 1986 making this expired. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Term_of_patent_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Term_of_patent_in_the_United_S...
    - tzs 10y ago
      From 35 USC 154(a): (2)Term.— Subject to the payment of fees under this title, such grant shall be for a term beginning on the date on which the patent issues and ending 20 years from the date on which the application for the patent was filed in the United States or, if the application contains a specific reference to an earlier filed application or applications under section 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c), from the date on which the earliest such application was filed. (3)Priority.— Priority under section 119, 365(a), 365(b), 386(a), or 386(b) shall not be taken into account in determining the term of a patent. For this patent, there is a chain of specific references to earlier filed applications, but I'm not sure which of those, if any, are under section 120, 121, 365(c) or 386(c) and so affect the expiration date of the patent.

by TheDong 10y ago

yuhong 10y ago

The expiration date is wrong. Even before 1995, it was 17 years after publication or 20 years after priority date.

TheDong 10y ago
Fine, another example: https://www.google.com/patents/US5924060 https://www.google.com/patents/US5924060 This one was filed in 97 so +20 is 2017 (because the 20 years is from filing date, yes?)
- yuhong 10y ago
  I think it is priority date, which is often the filing date of the earliest patent in a chain of continuations. For fun trivia, look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_patent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_patent
- redcap 10y ago
  It's from the priority date, which was Aug 29, 1986 making this expired. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Term_of_patent_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Term_of_patent_in_the_United_S...
  - tzs 10y ago
    From 35 USC 154(a): (2)Term.— Subject to the payment of fees under this title, such grant shall be for a term beginning on the date on which the patent issues and ending 20 years from the date on which the application for the patent was filed in the United States or, if the application contains a specific reference to an earlier filed application or applications under section 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c), from the date on which the earliest such application was filed. (3)Priority.— Priority under section 119, 365(a), 365(b), 386(a), or 386(b) shall not be taken into account in determining the term of a patent. For this patent, there is a chain of specific references to earlier filed applications, but I'm not sure which of those, if any, are under section 120, 121, 365(c) or 386(c) and so affect the expiration date of the patent.