Subject: Patenting HOWTO/FAQ ?

From: Hadmut Danisch <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 11 Sep 2004 13:24:24 +0200

Hi,

can anyone recommend any FAQ or HOWTO or a book about 
how to apply for a patent in the USA?

I have done some further development of mechanisms
which protect against spam, fraud, phishing etc. and
improve e-mail for commercial and private use, 
but I do not want to repeat the same mistake as with 
RMX again. I'd like to protect against plagiarism
and especially that kind of capture we've seen from 
Microsoft. I'd therefore like to apply for a patent
and make the mechanism available for free for the 
open source community (like GPL), but to take license
fees from commercial vendors like Microsoft. Beat 'em 
with their own weapons. 

regards
Hadmut

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From: "william(at)elan.net" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 11 Sep 2004 05:19:43 -0700 (PDT)

Its admirable that you want to protect the open source community from some 
corporate patent sharks :) 

But are you prepared to spend $20,000 of your own money to file such a 
patent ($2,000 - $5,000 if without a lawyer; but expect to have patent 
application returned to you for corrections or it might just get rejected 
entirely after two years of waiting...)?

Are you also aware that once you disclose the idea or technology on public 
forum or published it as IETF draft, you can no longer file a patent for 
it (even if you're the author of the draft)?

Best of luck to you if you answer yes to both questions above, in that 
case, please see http://www.uspto.gov/ebc/efs/index.html

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From: wayne <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 11 Sep 2004 07:51:58 -0500

> how to apply for a patent in the USA?

I think this is pretty much off-topic for this list.

>            I'd therefore like to apply for a patent

As mad as I am about the problems that the MS SenderID patent and
license has caused, I don't think that two wrongs make a right.  I
hope that such a patent encumbered technology would not be put in any
standard advanced by the IETF.

-wayne

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From: Marshall Rose <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 11 Sep 2004 10:05:53 -0700

> how to apply for a patent in the USA?

it is clear that your posting is completely inappropriate for the marid 
list.

it is clear that your posting should not have copied both marid and 
asrg.

it is clear that you have now been warned, and that further misbehavior 
will result in consequences.

it is clear that if anyone else responds to your posting on the marid 
list,  that they too will receive the attention of the co-chairs.

/mtr