From what I can tell most examiners are decent hard working people who are in a hell hole of a bureaucracy. No examiner has the authority to get a patent issued without others reviewing it.
Management is another issue. There is reason to believe that they use bureaucratic manipulations to do the bidding of big companies. I have long suspected that this is motivated by post USPTO employment opportunities.
We really need an upper management housecleaning at the USPTO.
There is nothing wrong with the underlying patent system. There is plenty wrong with USPTO management.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
"My issue is with the process of using patents to hold back innovation."
You cannot have so called innovation without someone producing the inventions.
Innovation describes the process of a line of inventions advancing the collective knowledge.
The problem is that those who copy others inventions want to call themselves innovators when they are really thieving copiers who combine others inventions into their products.
So called innovators would have nothing to work with if not for the work of real inventors.
Most companies claiming that they are innovators are really marketing hucksters who rationalize that their contribution has value and that the inventors who enable what they do contribution has little or no value.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
"My opinion, to be sure, but most people here seem to think your current method is shady."
And most people here are flat out opposed to inventor's property rights. IE, TechDIRT is more than a bit biased.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
Yes they can. But someone still has to pay their bills.
This is exactly what I have done for over a decade for the invention promotion industry and that is why they run around trying to trash my reputation. Some of the people behind the frauds are literally raking in tens of millions a year.
What we do to help inventors avoid being fleeced.
1) We compile victim stories and when we have enough evidence we list the offending companies at www.InventorEd.org/caution/list/.
2) We track who the owners are, management, sales people and bad apple attorneys who facilitate their conduct.
3) We show victims how and where to file complaints and after we get enough complaints we encourage all of the complainants to refile in a cluster. This helps make the worst players rise above the noise and often leads to them getting the kind of attention they have justly earned.
4) We supply compiled data to law enforcement and media on request.
5) We do not broadcast any information which might alert the perps that they have become the subject of interest.
6) We cooperate with other organizations with similar goals.
7) When a scumbag atty threatens us on behalf of some shyster promoter we generally publish their threats on internet to save them the trouble of threatening others.
8) We have a broad spectrum of volunteers and conduct investigations into the most obnoxious promoters, followed by submitting what we learn to the authorities.
9) Behind every questionable invention promoter there are always questionable patent attorneys. In fact, many of the silly patents which are issued are the work of invention promotion companies. We track who the attorneys are writing those patents (most do not list their names on the patent), and we encourage those who have been damaged to submit complaints to the Office of Enrollment and Discipline at the USPTO. In a number of cases those attorneys have been sanctioned. One is still a fugitive from justice:)
Ronald J. Riley,
I am speaking only on my own behalf.
Affiliations:
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR act PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 / (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
Doing without lawyers is not wise. The public likes to demonize lawyers but the reality is that like all professions there are good ones and then there are a small number of bad apples.
Setting up a business without help from a qualified attorney and CPA is penny wise and pound foolish. It is likely to cost far more to fix the mistakes, perhaps hundreds fold than it costs to do it right the first time.
It does make a great deal of sense to study the legal issues in order to use the professional's time wisely. www.Nolo.com is an excellent source of books. A very good web site is www.tenonline.org and every aspiring entrepreneur should take advantage of www.SCORE.org.
Ronald J. Riley,
I am speaking only on my own behalf.
Affiliations:
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR act PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 / (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
As I have said before, I do find things on TechDirt that I believe have merit but there is so much uninformed rubbish about patents, inventors, and the economics of the business that it forces me expend what time I have available debunking that material. It is a shame.
Like TechDirt and the related businesses I also did some consulting work for large businesses. That was many years ago. I learned very early, actually in junior and high school when I was hanging at at General Motors Institute (now Kettering). This was in the sixties and GMI's facilities were phenomenal. I learned Algol on the Tech Center's GE mainframe, followed by FORTRAN on an IBM (1130?). My first exposure to a Laser was there and many years later I had the pleasure of getting to know the inventor, Gordon Gould. He was a very pleasant man, perhaps in part because he suffered thirty years of abusive litigation at the hands of patent pirates. His case is a perfect example of why the speed of the East Texas court is so important to independent inventors.
One thing which the professor mentors instilled in me was not to every become an employee of GM or other large companies. GMI treated me very well, and years later GM was one of a handful of companies who ripped off my mono-rail control technology collectively to the tune of about 30-40 million bucks. They also played a big role in persecuting Gordon Gould for thirty years.
Ronald J. Riley,
I am speaking only on my own behalf.
Affiliations:
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR act PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 / (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
"Also, while Paul talks about the importance of "creating more entrepreneurs," I'm not sure that makes sense. I think the people who are meant to be entrepreneurs become entrepreneurs."
I think that planting the entrepreneurial seed at an early age is the key to creating more entrepreneurs.
For me that time was around twelve years old when my father allowed me to sell excess produce from our garden door to door and keep the money. It made a big impression on me. At nineteen I started my first business doing commercial sound systems for churches, VFW and similar organizations.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
"How one defines prior art is rather meaningless to the point of actual discussion: which is that prior art is not the way to determine obviousness. You bringing it up is a clear attempt to divert the conversation."
It seems that you think that a group with a vested interest should be able to declare that something is obvious and then have their way with the person who actually invented something.
Prior art is the only quantifiable way to determine obviousness. Courts do a pretty good job of making this determination.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
I also wish that patents were easier to understand but they are what they are because of case law and various court decisions.
Most of the complaints I see about specific patents are a result of layman reading the description and assuming that it represents what the patent covers when it is the claims which define the coverage. Claims are always much narrower than the description.
One of the reasons for complexity in patents is that claims need to be written to cover every possible combination of claim elements. This is done so that it a specific element is ruled invalid that all the other elements are not.
Please not that I am not a lawyer, just an inventor who has found that one needs lots of lawyers in order to survive.
The real problem in intellectual property is not the patent system but rather arrogant and dishonest large companies. Their shenanigans are what has made the system difficult to use.
Still, developed countries, especially (America and Australia have the most vigorous independent inventor communities) people's innate ingenuity is their most important asset and the only thing capable of maintaining our profit margins and standard living in the face of low wage global competition.
Inventors create new wealth, think of them as being the bottom of the food chain. Most business feed at higher levels, TechDIRT being one example of this. In the end they will all starve if new wealth creation does not occur.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
"It's a strange coincidence that among our many, many customers are some of the largest companies in the world?"
It is interesting that your customers are among the biggest companies as opposed to small entrepreneurial companies. But even more interesting is that of the ones we know about that most are members of the Coalition for Patent Fairness (aka. Piracy Coalition), a group doing its best to destroy the patent system and that TechDIRT's and their position seems pretty similar on the patent system.
Incidentally, I started my first business when I was nineteen. Even when I worked for others during my 40 year career I have most of the time ran some sort of side business.
I do know a great deal about business, especially start-ups based on inventions. It was money that I made from my inventions, both through production of products and through licensing which has allowed me luxury of devoting much of my time since 1990 to inventor advocacy.
I have asked you in a number of posts to help me understand why you are personally hostile towards inventors and the property rights they have EARNED by both inventing and TEACHING their invention. For an inventors perspective we have played by the rules while big companies steal and then lie and cheat to cover their tracks. I cannot understand why TechDIRT seems to be promoting the big company agenda.
Perhaps we can find some common ground? But for that to happen you need to be forthright, something which you have not been so far.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
"I have never personally insulted you or your family."
Explain why virtually every inventor who visits this forum either leaves or finally gets testy with you.
You are insulting and after a certain number of experiences with it inventors decide that you are not a fair broker of ideas. Your posts on the subject display a profound ignorance about the issues. You do not understand patents or the economics of patents and the invention business.
That leaves us wondering if you are that ignorant and just too stubborn to listen or if you are one of those media agents which patent pirates hire to disrupt public discussion of their conduct.
There are issues which I agree with your positions Mike, but my time is limited and all the anti-patent-inventor drivel you spew leaves me no choice except to put time into addressing those issues. It is a shame.
By the way, beyond TechDIRT's Microsoft connections there appears to be similar connections to Sun, Intel, HP, Amex and no doubt other companies associated with the most egregious conduct against inventors. This is a strange coincidence.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
"Another good idea might be to put caps on how much an entity may collect in royalties if someone else wants to use an idea that an entity owns a patent to."
While we are at it we should put a cap on what you can earn, say $5 an hour for life without any chance for cost of living increases?
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
"Engaging in conversations means engaging in productive conversations. When one has a history of purposely diverting the conversations, I have found no good reason in playing their games."
This is exactly what you do all the time Mike. I learned long ago that you will ignore the substantive issues I raise while focusing on something unrelated to the thrust of any response I make. When you site sources they are by no means credible.
You consistently attack in snide ways inventors and everything they represent. Your site is loaded with like minded people.
It it any surprise that you are held in such low esteem by inventors? It is a fact that most important inventions do not come from established tech companies. We know this as do they. That is the reason that tech companies want to change the patent system. Now the only question is what motivates you to in large part promote the same agenda?
Perhaps if you can explain your underlying reasons for thinking that inventors should roll over and assume the position whenever someone wants to take rights which they have earned? If our property rights are to be socialized why shouldn't yours also be socialized?
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
"The small guy can no longer file a patent that a big business would want because that business will bankrupt that guy in frivolous patent infringement suits till he gives in."
The reason that big business is crying about "patent trolls" is that their past excesses have made it much easier for individuals and small business to extract justice. It is still difficult but now possible where from 1920 through the 1960's no inventor got justice.
This is a complex subject, but inventors are drawing far more blood then has ever happened before.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
This is the kind of snarky comment which causes people to scorn you. As society and technology become more complex so does law. They go hand in hand.
I suggest that you invest a bit of effort into understanding the points and deal with them on merit.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
"Following on Brad Templeton's idea, obviousness is easy to determine.
Obvious solutions come quickly. Non-obvious ones take a long time."
Not so. Study Farnsworth. It is a fact that many inventions come in a flash of genius.
Following on Brad Templeton's idea, obviousness is easy to determine.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
Microsoft is fighting a losing battle. They spend a fortune on R&D, get lots of incremental improvement patents yet still miss the boat on the most important inventions.
In fact, it was Microsoft which announced they wanted patent deform which started the current Congressional battle. A week or so later IBM joined them.
Big companies are trying to turn the patent system into an exclusive sport which serves only their interests.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
No, patents encourage people to fully disclose their inventions.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
"Either way, if you ARE just speaking as an individual, posting your affiliations as you do is a shady move. You invoke them not as disclosure, but as your signature line to add power to your argument, and to link-bait back to the sites."
Just because I found an organization does not mean that I speak for everyone associated with the organization.
For example, I or a small group associated with one of our organizations may write a position letter. To speak for the organization that letter then goes to the directors for approval. Then and only then the document is official.
I do not have time to run every post past the directors, and therefore those posts represent just my opinion. Generally many people in the organization will agree with me but not all. In fact I have yet to meet an inventor who is not very opinionated and strong willed.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
"What about basic humanism? What incentive is there to keep knowledge a secret when it can benefit your community?"
Look up how guilds handled discoveries their members made. They carefully guarded them as secrets of the trade and as a result progress was very slow.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
On the post: Patent Office Insider Funnels $500k To Minister
Examiners not the real problem.
Management is another issue. There is reason to believe that they use bureaucratic manipulations to do the bidding of big companies. I have long suspected that this is motivated by post USPTO employment opportunities.
We really need an upper management housecleaning at the USPTO.
There is nothing wrong with the underlying patent system. There is plenty wrong with USPTO management.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
On the post: Just Because Something's New Doesn't Mean It's Not Obvious
You cannot have so called innovation without someone producing the inventions.
Innovation describes the process of a line of inventions advancing the collective knowledge.
The problem is that those who copy others inventions want to call themselves innovators when they are really thieving copiers who combine others inventions into their products.
So called innovators would have nothing to work with if not for the work of real inventors.
Most companies claiming that they are innovators are really marketing hucksters who rationalize that their contribution has value and that the inventors who enable what they do contribution has little or no value.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
On the post: Just Because Something's New Doesn't Mean It's Not Obvious
Re: Re: Re: Re: Chicken / Re:
And most people here are flat out opposed to inventor's property rights. IE, TechDIRT is more than a bit biased.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
On the post: Oh Look, Bloggers Can Do Investigative Reporting Too
Yes they can. But someone still has to pay their bills.
What we do to help inventors avoid being fleeced.
1) We compile victim stories and when we have enough evidence we list the offending companies at www.InventorEd.org/caution/list/.
2) We track who the owners are, management, sales people and bad apple attorneys who facilitate their conduct.
3) We show victims how and where to file complaints and after we get enough complaints we encourage all of the complainants to refile in a cluster. This helps make the worst players rise above the noise and often leads to them getting the kind of attention they have justly earned.
4) We supply compiled data to law enforcement and media on request.
5) We do not broadcast any information which might alert the perps that they have become the subject of interest.
6) We cooperate with other organizations with similar goals.
7) When a scumbag atty threatens us on behalf of some shyster promoter we generally publish their threats on internet to save them the trouble of threatening others.
8) We have a broad spectrum of volunteers and conduct investigations into the most obnoxious promoters, followed by submitting what we learn to the authorities.
9) Behind every questionable invention promoter there are always questionable patent attorneys. In fact, many of the silly patents which are issued are the work of invention promotion companies. We track who the attorneys are writing those patents (most do not list their names on the patent), and we encourage those who have been damaged to submit complaints to the Office of Enrollment and Discipline at the USPTO. In a number of cases those attorneys have been sanctioned. One is still a fugitive from justice:)
Ronald J. Riley,
I am speaking only on my own behalf.
Affiliations:
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR act PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 / (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
On the post: Can You Teach Entrepreneurship?
Re: Re: I totally agree with you
Setting up a business without help from a qualified attorney and CPA is penny wise and pound foolish. It is likely to cost far more to fix the mistakes, perhaps hundreds fold than it costs to do it right the first time.
It does make a great deal of sense to study the legal issues in order to use the professional's time wisely. www.Nolo.com is an excellent source of books. A very good web site is www.tenonline.org and every aspiring entrepreneur should take advantage of www.SCORE.org.
Ronald J. Riley,
I am speaking only on my own behalf.
Affiliations:
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR act PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 / (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
On the post: Can You Teach Entrepreneurship?
Re: Re:
Like TechDirt and the related businesses I also did some consulting work for large businesses. That was many years ago. I learned very early, actually in junior and high school when I was hanging at at General Motors Institute (now Kettering). This was in the sixties and GMI's facilities were phenomenal. I learned Algol on the Tech Center's GE mainframe, followed by FORTRAN on an IBM (1130?). My first exposure to a Laser was there and many years later I had the pleasure of getting to know the inventor, Gordon Gould. He was a very pleasant man, perhaps in part because he suffered thirty years of abusive litigation at the hands of patent pirates. His case is a perfect example of why the speed of the East Texas court is so important to independent inventors.
One thing which the professor mentors instilled in me was not to every become an employee of GM or other large companies. GMI treated me very well, and years later GM was one of a handful of companies who ripped off my mono-rail control technology collectively to the tune of about 30-40 million bucks. They also played a big role in persecuting Gordon Gould for thirty years.
Ronald J. Riley,
I am speaking only on my own behalf.
Affiliations:
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR act PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 / (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
On the post: Can You Teach Entrepreneurship?
I think that planting the entrepreneurial seed at an early age is the key to creating more entrepreneurs.
For me that time was around twelve years old when my father allowed me to sell excess produce from our garden door to door and keep the money. It made a big impression on me. At nineteen I started my first business doing commercial sound systems for churches, VFW and similar organizations.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
On the post: Just Because Something's New Doesn't Mean It's Not Obvious
Re: Re: Re: Re:
It seems that you think that a group with a vested interest should be able to declare that something is obvious and then have their way with the person who actually invented something.
Prior art is the only quantifiable way to determine obviousness. Courts do a pretty good job of making this determination.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
On the post: Just Because Something's New Doesn't Mean It's Not Obvious
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: stop the shilling!!!
I also wish that patents were easier to understand but they are what they are because of case law and various court decisions.
Most of the complaints I see about specific patents are a result of layman reading the description and assuming that it represents what the patent covers when it is the claims which define the coverage. Claims are always much narrower than the description.
One of the reasons for complexity in patents is that claims need to be written to cover every possible combination of claim elements. This is done so that it a specific element is ruled invalid that all the other elements are not.
Please not that I am not a lawyer, just an inventor who has found that one needs lots of lawyers in order to survive.
The real problem in intellectual property is not the patent system but rather arrogant and dishonest large companies. Their shenanigans are what has made the system difficult to use.
Still, developed countries, especially (America and Australia have the most vigorous independent inventor communities) people's innate ingenuity is their most important asset and the only thing capable of maintaining our profit margins and standard living in the face of low wage global competition.
Inventors create new wealth, think of them as being the bottom of the food chain. Most business feed at higher levels, TechDIRT being one example of this. In the end they will all starve if new wealth creation does not occur.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
On the post: Just Because Something's New Doesn't Mean It's Not Obvious
Similarity of TechDirt & CPF Positions
It is interesting that your customers are among the biggest companies as opposed to small entrepreneurial companies. But even more interesting is that of the ones we know about that most are members of the Coalition for Patent Fairness (aka. Piracy Coalition), a group doing its best to destroy the patent system and that TechDIRT's and their position seems pretty similar on the patent system.
Incidentally, I started my first business when I was nineteen. Even when I worked for others during my 40 year career I have most of the time ran some sort of side business.
I do know a great deal about business, especially start-ups based on inventions. It was money that I made from my inventions, both through production of products and through licensing which has allowed me luxury of devoting much of my time since 1990 to inventor advocacy.
I have asked you in a number of posts to help me understand why you are personally hostile towards inventors and the property rights they have EARNED by both inventing and TEACHING their invention. For an inventors perspective we have played by the rules while big companies steal and then lie and cheat to cover their tracks. I cannot understand why TechDIRT seems to be promoting the big company agenda.
Perhaps we can find some common ground? But for that to happen you need to be forthright, something which you have not been so far.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
On the post: Just Because Something's New Doesn't Mean It's Not Obvious
Re: Re: Re: Re:
Explain why virtually every inventor who visits this forum either leaves or finally gets testy with you.
You are insulting and after a certain number of experiences with it inventors decide that you are not a fair broker of ideas. Your posts on the subject display a profound ignorance about the issues. You do not understand patents or the economics of patents and the invention business.
That leaves us wondering if you are that ignorant and just too stubborn to listen or if you are one of those media agents which patent pirates hire to disrupt public discussion of their conduct.
There are issues which I agree with your positions Mike, but my time is limited and all the anti-patent-inventor drivel you spew leaves me no choice except to put time into addressing those issues. It is a shame.
By the way, beyond TechDIRT's Microsoft connections there appears to be similar connections to Sun, Intel, HP, Amex and no doubt other companies associated with the most egregious conduct against inventors. This is a strange coincidence.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
On the post: Just Because Something's New Doesn't Mean It's Not Obvious
Re: Re: Re: Re:
While we are at it we should put a cap on what you can earn, say $5 an hour for life without any chance for cost of living increases?
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
On the post: Just Because Something's New Doesn't Mean It's Not Obvious
Re: Re:
This is exactly what you do all the time Mike. I learned long ago that you will ignore the substantive issues I raise while focusing on something unrelated to the thrust of any response I make. When you site sources they are by no means credible.
You consistently attack in snide ways inventors and everything they represent. Your site is loaded with like minded people.
It it any surprise that you are held in such low esteem by inventors? It is a fact that most important inventions do not come from established tech companies. We know this as do they. That is the reason that tech companies want to change the patent system. Now the only question is what motivates you to in large part promote the same agenda?
Perhaps if you can explain your underlying reasons for thinking that inventors should roll over and assume the position whenever someone wants to take rights which they have earned? If our property rights are to be socialized why shouldn't yours also be socialized?
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
On the post: Just Because Something's New Doesn't Mean It's Not Obvious
Re: Lawl Wut??
The reason that big business is crying about "patent trolls" is that their past excesses have made it much easier for individuals and small business to extract justice. It is still difficult but now possible where from 1920 through the 1960's no inventor got justice.
This is a complex subject, but inventors are drawing far more blood then has ever happened before.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
On the post: Just Because Something's New Doesn't Mean It's Not Obvious
Re: Re:
This is the kind of snarky comment which causes people to scorn you. As society and technology become more complex so does law. They go hand in hand.
I suggest that you invest a bit of effort into understanding the points and deal with them on merit.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
On the post: Just Because Something's New Doesn't Mean It's Not Obvious
Re: Obviousness is easy to determine
Obvious solutions come quickly. Non-obvious ones take a long time."
Not so. Study Farnsworth. It is a fact that many inventions come in a flash of genius.
Following on Brad Templeton's idea, obviousness is easy to determine.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
On the post: Just Because Something's New Doesn't Mean It's Not Obvious
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Trade Secrets vs Patents
In fact, it was Microsoft which announced they wanted patent deform which started the current Congressional battle. A week or so later IBM joined them.
Big companies are trying to turn the patent system into an exclusive sport which serves only their interests.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
On the post: Just Because Something's New Doesn't Mean It's Not Obvious
Re: Re: Every aspiring Infringer Claims Obvious
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
On the post: Just Because Something's New Doesn't Mean It's Not Obvious
Re: Re: Chicken / Re:
Just because I found an organization does not mean that I speak for everyone associated with the organization.
For example, I or a small group associated with one of our organizations may write a position letter. To speak for the organization that letter then goes to the directors for approval. Then and only then the document is official.
I do not have time to run every post past the directors, and therefore those posts represent just my opinion. Generally many people in the organization will agree with me but not all. In fact I have yet to meet an inventor who is not very opinionated and strong willed.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
On the post: Just Because Something's New Doesn't Mean It's Not Obvious
Re: Re: TechDIRT Weasels / Re:
Look up how guilds handled discoveries their members made. They carefully guarded them as secrets of the trade and as a result progress was very slow.
Ronald J. Riley,
Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
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