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> Company I am not allowed to disclose. Aren't patents supposed to be public information ? One of the (rather hollow in practice) justification for patents is
by srean 11y ago
> Company I am not allowed to disclose.
Aren't patents supposed to be public information ? One of the (rather hollow in practice) justification for patents is to (also) encourage eventual disclosure of knowledge.
- bsenftner 11y agoThe patents are, but their ownership does not have to be.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- ObviousScience 11y ago> The patents are, but their ownership does not have to be. I disagree. It's important that people be able to determine whether the patent is in use or held by an NPE that's obligated to license it to people who want to implement products. Were I to want to work in motion capture, I have no way to ascertain who owns your patents, if they're an NPE, and what possible licensing options exist. I think patent owners should be forced to register with the patent office in a look-up table if they want to hold their patents.
- TeMPOraL 11y agoI think the GP was just stating the fact, not expressing his opinion about it. But I agree that secret patent ownership sounds a little dodgy. Say I want to apply for a license to use some patented technology? Who am I supposed to turn to?
- chrisbennet 11y agoTrue. But in the case where the owner is secret, they shouldn't be able to sue infringers (I wish).
- dragonwriter 11y ago> Aren't patents supposed to be public information ? Private agreements can restrict a person's comment on things without regard to whether the information is already public.