--- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > Obviously, this was a really intriguing exposition. I will look forward to your > sharing of further developments, if possible. A few thoughts: > > In the U.S., over the last twenty years or so, we've seen some real increase in > discussion of creators' rights, _in a way_, on the copyright side of things. At > first this was really focused on the computer software copyright issue. > Recently, that has been extended to the effort to protect music and video > creators' rights, since music and video have become de facto computer files > (though they are not active programs generally). > > I think it would be false and overly simplistic to summarize that computer > software creators have fully adequate and excellent copyright protection, or > that they are on the other hand as helpless as energy-device inventors. The > answer is probably that copyright protection for the little guy is not that bad, > with some effort, but could stand improvement, that it's certainly true > sometimes that copyrights to software are violated, but that on the balance, > part of the reason we've seen such a massive growth in this industry has been > precisely because there is some protection afforded individual writers of > software, by our legal system. > > No doubt about it, this can be a bit misleading, because there are probably > myriad times when giant corporations a la Microsoft treat others' copyrights > with the disdain that they would instantly decry were the same done to their own > copyrights, and with not only financial clout but some psychology on their side > (what creator whose love of their invention kept them going wants to tear > himself away and spend years in court), they have doubtless won a few times > where they should have lost.
I am in a very similar situation. I studied Copyrights, and decided the protections were inadequate for my needs, and proprietary info would be kept that way to avoid the legal entanglements. That part of my strategy worked. No one is attempting to claim they have a previous or similar Patent, because they don't know what I have. Instead, I have been shut out from being able to proceed. > > Likewise, despite the recent publicity brought to the issue of protection for > artistic works, even a foolproof crackdown on art-file-piracy would not > guarantee artists' rights. There is every evidence that large corporations have > at times, or systematically, benefitted in an imbalanced way from their > publication of various artists' work, while not adequately paying them the > agreed-upon amount, or that the agreed-upon amounts have been unduly too low due > precisely to the fact that the artists on their own could not only not afford > production of their work but could not afford legal protection of >it. My situation differs here in that I have financing arranged to take my project to completion. I am being stone-walled through various bureaucratic methods to prevent me from moving forward. Someone(s?) has spent a considerable amount to prevent me from progressing. I am not about to disclose the activities behind hte scenes, but the Election coming up this Fall will be either a make it or break it point. It may break sooner, depending on the Convention Endorement process. I am not an unbiased observer, and am hoping to see mucho dinero go down a Rat Hole! While I am holding, the Project isn't costing very much, while the 'undisclosed party' is spending a LOT to keep a lid on me. It's now become my hobby to keep the pressure up, and their money flowing. I have a few cracks in their dam that I keep checking, and making sure they are using plenty of money to keep the cracks repaired. If they slow down the money flow, I'll be ready to exploit the weak spot. I have manged to get past the frustrated outrage part, and have mellowed a bit, which is much better suited to my natural temperament. I spent so much time and effort focused on one Project, that the world was going around without me. Now I've backed off a bit, and can look at other items of interest and investigate some of them. I have several small experimental projects I'm working on, and a couple of other bigger ones that I am consulting on. > This > infuriating problem... the fact that the cost of protection of great creations > is regarded as a de facto blackmail item in bending the arms of creators to do > business with large protection rackets, I mean companies, is I think a part of > things. Not to say that I think things are this simple, just making the > argument. > > I see none of this discussion going on with respect to patents, energy device > inventions, or other inventions, outside of computers. In order for things to > progress from increased-public-discourse-and-attention to real legal change, I > think it would take a long time (decades?) so there is a long way to go. > > I thought this reading was instructive on following the costs of patent > protection. I am not recommending the company: > > http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020213/dew024_1.html > > It is perhaps arguable that a reason for many inventors to be involved with > small companies going public is, primarily, because without this process they > wouldn't be able to afford patent protection on top of product development sales > and marketing costs. Pity. We are very far removed from the days of Tom > Edison. Which was lucky for Tom! We still wouldn't have use of his lights if he had had to wait for some bureaucrat to isssue him a permit to use electricity, and to develop State standards for wiring Codes, (at Tom's expense)and train and license and Certify electrical inspectors, and rezone his home/workshop for an industrial use variant, do an involved Environmental Impact Study as to what effect the widespread use of electricity may have,....etc. etc. etc. Another project I am aware of, has nearly all the permitting that is/was required, done. He was ready to start construction 2 years ago, and was talking to Contractors, ready to let Contracts. Then it was decided he needed a more extensive Environmental Impact Study, due to a newly enacted regulation. It involved soil borings of the proposed site. He attempted to comply by hiring a test boring contractor to take whatever samples were needed. Before this could be done, however, it was determined that Soil Borings on the site may have an impact on the Environment, and ground water, and he has to have a study done to determine the impact of the Soil Borings. I drove past the site last week, and it is still basically a leveled dirt parking lot, the same as it was 2 years ago when he was ready to build, and removed the trees from the site. What would Tom Edison have done? What could Tesla have done, if he hadn't met resistance that drove him further over the edge? I am intrigued by his turbine. What more could he have done with some support? Some day, I am going to have one for personal experimental purposes, regardless of Patents. Motie ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Stock for $4 and no minimums. FREE Money 2002. http://us.click.yahoo.com/orkH0C/n97DAA/Ey.GAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
