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Prior Art Database - a way to fight the patent system.
By tommy, Section News
Posted on Wed Sep 18th, 2002 at 05:25:34 GMT
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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Poll
Will it crush the patent system?
It will make a big difference.
It won't make a big difference.
It will make little or no difference.
The patent system will find a way to circumvent the idea of PADB.

Votes: 5
Results | Other Polls

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Prior Art Database - a way to fight the patent system. | 4 comments (4 topical, editorial) | Post A Comment
[new] I doubt it will help. (#1)
by a member of the hurd (#-1) on Wed Sep 18th, 2002 at 10:25:48 GMT

I do not know, if it will help that much. The largest part of the problem are patents to trivialities. If you have thought 5 minutes for a solution you will neighter employ a patent lawyer to search some days if it is patented nor invest half an hour to put it in a database. And because of this you will get sued, because it already was patented or somebody else patents it.

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[new] How should that timestamping work? (#2)
by tobias (#299) () on Sun Sep 22nd, 2002 at 13:04:11 GMT
(User Info)

You would need a timestamp legally binding in lots of countries, so having some database that puts a timestamp on new entries will not suffice. You'd need a notary public to 'timestamp' a hardcopy or something similar I think.

Since you'd need to timestamp lots of ideas this results in lots of legal expenses, lots of storage space for the hardcopies and so on. In addition you will need a clever way to index all the documents, code snippletsm etc. or the whole DB is of very little use.

Finally I doubt many people would submit their ideas: I for one thing hardly ever had an idea that I consider worthy to be put into such a DB. I guess corporate lawyers will have less scruples;-)

[ Reply to This ]


 
[new] This an old dangerous idea (#3)
by xdrudis (#434) on Sun Sep 22nd, 2002 at 21:26:00 GMT
(User Info) http://patents.caliu.info

Please don't try this again.

It has already been proposed and analysed. It only helps the patent system find prior art to write more solid patents, and won't stop them from patenting.

see an excellent analysis

I'm sure of their good will, but it is not going to work (unless I don't understand what they're doing).

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[new] Here is good website (#4)
by a member of the hurd (#-1) on Wed Apr 13th, 2005 at 12:32:31 GMT

Here is good website I will introduce it to my friends ¼âÈñʪðà ßäà­ÄªÌØ ¼âÈñʪðàͼƬ ¼âÈñʪðàÂÛ̳ Ã÷ÐÀÀûµÏ ÓÑÇéÁ´½Ó µØͼ µØͼ2 links add Health links ֪ʶ´óÈ« ¼âÈñʪðà ¼âÈñʪðà ÍøÕ¾ÓÅ»¯ ÍøÕ¾ÓÅ»¯ ¼âÈñʪðà ¼âÈñʪðà ¼âÈñʪðà ¼âÈñʪðà ¼âÈñʪðà ¼âÈñʪðà ¼âÈñʪðà ¼âÈñʪðà ¼âÈñʪðà ÐÔ²¡·ÀÖÎ ÐÔ²¡ÖªÊ¶ ÍøÕ¾ÓÅ»¯ GoogleÅÅÃû googleÅÅÃû GoogleÅÅÃû ÅÅÃû֪ʶ ×ÉѯÁôÑÔ ±äËÍÆ÷ ´«¸ÐÆ÷ ¸ôÀëÆ÷ ±äËÍÆ÷ ´«¸ÐÆ÷ ¸ôÀëÆ÷ ³ÉÈËÓÃÆ· ÐÔÓÃÆ· ÌõÐÎÂë ÓÑÇéÁ´½Ó...........


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Prior Art Database - a way to fight the patent system. | 4 comments (4 topical, editorial) | Post A Comment
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