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by VanL
5426 days ago
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I haven't looked at the patents that you mention, so I can't comment on your patent(s) specifically. I can comment on patents generally, though. I am a patent lawyer specializing in patent reexamination - i.e., my day-to-day job is evaluating and invalidating patents. There is a lot of truth to what you say that what a patent "covers" is grossly misrepresented in the technical press. There is some justification for the popular misinterpretation of claim scope, though; I can't tell you how many people discover, years later, that they have "invented" wifi - or VPNs - or any other successful standard you might care to name. One good example of this is the RIM v. NTP case. The NTP patents were about pagers. It was later that they realized that they had "invented" email (i.e. sending electronic messages to a hand-held device). When you read the original disclosure, though, it is obvious they had no such thing in mind. Further, you are right that most patents have more complexity than the high level summary would indicate. Does that mean that the patents are valid? No way. I personally have seen 30-40 patents that I would consider to have any valid claims after a full prior art search is done-and that is after having looked at many thousand patents. My personal kill rate on patents that I have dealt with is in the high 90th percentile. Bonus tip: as an uncredited inventor, you have a very valuable asset-particularly if that patent is being asserted. |
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Perhaps add contact info to your HN profile? The community here includes people who might eventually need your services.
A question: how prominent, really, is that region of East Texas where we hear that most of these suits get filed? Does it make it significantly more difficult to do your work? I'm always shocked when I hear about that. It seems an outright corruption of the system, like the hanging judges of the past.
Edit: I see you already mentioned this (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2845398) but I would like to hear anything more that you have to say. Oh, and please keep posting here. You clearly know what you're talking about..