[wellylug] NZ Software Patents

[John Durham]

David Antliff wrote:
> On Wed, Jun 17, 2009 at 14:37, Peter Lynch<Peter.Lynch at acc.co.nz> wrote:
>> Patents of any sort, including software, are based on keeping work secret.
> 
> This is not actually correct - in order to patent something, you have
> to publicly disclose it. A patent is almost the exact opposite of a
> trade secret. In fact, patents are meant to encourage inventors to
> bring such secret inventions into the public arena so that society can
> eventually benefit from them. In return, the patent holder receives
> exclusive legal rights to profit from their invention for X years,
> with the requirement that when the patent expires, their exclusive
> rights are lost.
I can confirm this. That was my experience of the patents I took out 
years ago. That protection has run out by now.
-- 
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