🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <66842@sgi.sgi.com> karsh@trifolium.sgi.com (Bruce Karsh) writes:
>This is patent nonsense.  

*boo*!  Horrible pun, Bruce!
8-)

>Most recently, an inventor was awarded a several million dollar
>judgement against a large auto company (Chrysler, I think), because
>they infringed on a patent for using an electronic timer to control a
>windshield wiper.

I hope that's not all there was to it, because that's how I thought it *was*
done, and if *I* think that way, it's probably fairly obvious to most people
in the field...

>If you have a good patent and a big company infringes, attorneys will
>take the case on a contingency fee basis.  They especially like it when
>a very large company infringes because large companies have deep
>pockets.

And if you lose, what happens?

>One inventor, armed with a good patent, can now take on a giant corporation.

Tell me.  Since you know so much about it, how many patent suits like that
are a) brought up, and subsequently dropped (through intimidation, for
example), b) brought up, taken to court, and then lost, or c) brought up,
taken to court, won, but end up costing so much that it's not worthwhile?

-- 
Sean Eric Fagan  | "let's face it, finding yourself dead is one 
seanf@sco.COM    |   of life's more difficult moments."
uunet!sco!seanf  |   -- Mark Leeper, reviewing _Ghost_
(408) 458-1422   | Any opinions expressed are my own, not my employers'.