🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992May8.190943.3350@beaver.cs.washington.edu> kstagg@cs.washington.edu (Kenneth Stagg) writes:
>  Another question:  I thought that patents only applied to individuals/
>organizations that were attempting to PROFIT from the use of anothers
>ideas.  It would appear from the newsletter that I'm mistaken, yet the
>question remains as to why?  I realize that all of this has probably been
>discussed many times over the years, but I haven't seen it yet....

Yes, you were mistaken.  Even a private individual, constructing and using
a patented device for personal use, is infringing the patent (there are
exceptions made for making the device just to satisfy intellectual
curiosity).

While you may not be deriving profit from non-profit distribution of a
patented device, you may be preventing the patent-holder from making a
profit by selling to the people you're giving it away to.  The patent
holder has the right to charge others a license fee so that he gets
something from everyone who uses his invention.  Whether or not you get
anything for it is of no interest to him.
-- 
Barry Margolin
System Manager, Thinking Machines Corp.

barmar@think.com          {uunet,harvard}!think!barmar