Once an invention is made public, no one else can patent it unless they can prove they were working on it before the publication. It is best if done in a trade journal so the patent office can find it, but I would think that posting on a web site and news group would also suffice. Also you only have one year in the US to get a patent after going public if I remember right.
Marshall Reid Harvey wrote: > CS Friends, > Thanks to everyone for the words of encouragement, very gratifying. I'm > a little surprised that I don't have a ready response for those of you > who say you'd like to help our project in some way, since this really > should be a possibility. One problem is that we don't yet have anything > like the 501 (c) 3, charity designation in the U.S., which makes > possible tax deductable contributions. > > Actually I've been very intent on getting international patents for the > permeable grog and some of the methodology that goes into the candle. > For one thing I've been concerned that were I not to go for the patents > others could later approach me, claiming the same invention. For > example, early on I collaborated with a group called Potters for Peace, > based in Nicaragua, who promote a filter that is similar in that it is > earthenware that is CS saturated. Their filter is seven liters and > resembles a flower pot (and nests in a lower container). The people who > developed their filter did not go for any legal protection, and recently > a group of unscrupulous Guatamalan business men, claiming the patent, > approached them saying they would at some point be coming back to > collect royalties. > > Fortunately for me my patent attorney has done all writing of the patent > and it's application on a pro bono basis, so it's been semi-affordable. > However he came back to me with a price of $5000.00 to write up the > charity status, an amount I can't afford. > > As to the patent I am only really protected against the potters who > would be making the candle, and I'm darn sure not going to take legal > action against them. So I will be relying on any prospective sponsoring > organization to have the integrity to approach me when they want to > become involved, on a country by country basis. Initially, once > convinced they can produce as they propose I will license them for a > song, probably just the legal fees of any agreement. If I do realize > any financial gain at all it will be over time as the system proves > popular and is widely replicated. For example if I took 5% of the > purchase price of a filter as royalty I would be walking away with about > 1 cent. > > Thanks again for all the kind words of support. > Reid > > -- > The silver-list is a moderated forum for discussion of colloidal silver. > > To join or quit silver-list or silver-digest send an e-mail message to: > [email protected] -or- [email protected] > with the word subscribe or unsubscribe in the SUBJECT line. > > To post, address your message to: [email protected] > Silver-list archive: http://escribe.com/health/thesilverlist/index.html > List maintainer: Mike Devour <[email protected]>
