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It should not be possible to patent an idea, since most great inventions throughout the history were discovered by two or more unconnected people in parallel. Y

by ypcx 15y ago

It should not be possible to patent an idea, since most great inventions throughout the history were discovered by two or more unconnected people in parallel. You probably know that yourself, you run to google to check if the domain for your next great thing is still free, only to find someone is already working on your idea.

anamax 15y ago
> It should not be possible to patent an idea Ideas are the only thing that can be patented....
- cubicle67 15y ago
  in the hardware world, it's the opposite - you patent an implementation. I'd be able to patent a specific design of a mouse trap, but not the general idea of one
  - SamReidHughes 15y ago
    No, actually, you patent the general idea of one. More specifically not the general idea of trapping mice, but the general idea of a hinge and a spring, or the use of cheese on a trigger, or whatever, as general as you can get it.
    - vidarh 15y ago
      The point is you patent a specific method of trapping mice, that can be embodied in a device. Your hypothetical patent would for example not cover a mousetrap that uses a box with the cheese at the bottom and a rod over it that the mouse will fall off if it goes out to try to stretch for the cheese, unless that is explicitly covered in separate claims. So it does not cover the general idea of a mousetrap but of the specific method of catching mice with a spring loaded trap. (the method I described above works, very well, assuming the sides are slippery/smooth enough for the mouse to be unable to climb them) - my dad tried catching a mouse alive when I was a kid to show me; he tried 4-5 times, and it caught a mouse each time, but all of them were dead when we found them - we never figured out if it was from the very limited fall or from the shock or what it was).
      - anamax 15y ago
        > The point is you patent a specific method of trapping mice, that can be embodied in a device. Otherwise known as an idea.
      - HeyLaughingBoy 15y ago
        Similar concept that I used with a SimonDelivers box to catch field mice: put bait in bottom of box. place stick against box so it forms a ramp for mouse to walk up. Mouse walks up stick, sees/smells bait and jumps into box to eat it. Box is too high (about 14" tall) for mouse to jump back out. No, I did not patent this mousetrap! I tossed the mice to my chickens. The ones that got away were lucky; the rest... well let's just say my chickens lay some mighty tasty eggs :-)
  - anamax 15y ago
    > in the hardware world, it's the opposite - you patent an implementation. The point is you patent a specific method I have both hardware and software patents. They're exactly the same.

by ypcx 15y ago

anamax 15y ago

> It should not be possible to patent an idea Ideas are the only thing that can be patented....

cubicle67 15y ago
in the hardware world, it's the opposite - you patent an implementation. I'd be able to patent a specific design of a mouse trap, but not the general idea of one
- SamReidHughes 15y ago
  No, actually, you patent the general idea of one. More specifically not the general idea of trapping mice, but the general idea of a hinge and a spring, or the use of cheese on a trigger, or whatever, as general as you can get it.
  - vidarh 15y ago
    The point is you patent a specific method of trapping mice, that can be embodied in a device. Your hypothetical patent would for example not cover a mousetrap that uses a box with the cheese at the bottom and a rod over it that the mouse will fall off if it goes out to try to stretch for the cheese, unless that is explicitly covered in separate claims. So it does not cover the general idea of a mousetrap but of the specific method of catching mice with a spring loaded trap. (the method I described above works, very well, assuming the sides are slippery/smooth enough for the mouse to be unable to climb them) - my dad tried catching a mouse alive when I was a kid to show me; he tried 4-5 times, and it caught a mouse each time, but all of them were dead when we found them - we never figured out if it was from the very limited fall or from the shock or what it was).
    - anamax 15y ago
      > The point is you patent a specific method of trapping mice, that can be embodied in a device. Otherwise known as an idea.
    - HeyLaughingBoy 15y ago
      Similar concept that I used with a SimonDelivers box to catch field mice: put bait in bottom of box. place stick against box so it forms a ramp for mouse to walk up. Mouse walks up stick, sees/smells bait and jumps into box to eat it. Box is too high (about 14" tall) for mouse to jump back out. No, I did not patent this mousetrap! I tossed the mice to my chickens. The ones that got away were lucky; the rest... well let's just say my chickens lay some mighty tasty eggs :-)
- anamax 15y ago
  > in the hardware world, it's the opposite - you patent an implementation. The point is you patent a specific method I have both hardware and software patents. They're exactly the same.