Prior Art Database - a way to fight the patent system. |
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By tommy, Section News
Posted on Wed Sep 18th, 2002 at 05:25:34 GMT |
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A new project is being hosted at gnu.org:
http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/padb/
The purpose of the Prior Art DataBase (PADB) is to invalidate future patents. The idea is that an "inventor" submits his idea to PADB as soon as possible to get it timestamped. If a company later on gets the same idea, they will not be able to get a patent.
If they get a patent anyway, any other person/organization/company may invalidate it in court by referring to the timestamped prior art entry.
The conclusion is that if every new and original idea gets posted to, and timestamped by, PADB, it will not be possible to get/defend any future patents.
Does this mean that we have won the war on the patent system?
Are there other services like this one?
One of the great benefits this service will bring, will probably be that the language used to describe the ideas will not have to be obfuscated. When applying for patents there are reasons to obfuscate. When describing ideas for the purpose of waging war on the patent system, there are not.
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