Thread: Intelectual Property & Free Hardware

i work in mechanical design industry, means design hardware. various kinds, various markets...

finished watching - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snbmd...eature=related , @ right around 7:40 starts talking how 4 freedoms can't apply hardware, but- no hardware (ok, hardware) doesn't exist w/o intellectual property, in form of engineering drawings , various engineering calculations, , spreadsheets, etc...

every drawing i've ever produced contained little note somewhere on title block:

copyright 2008 <insert company name> inc. rights reserved.
information contained herein proprietery , confidential , may not
used out express written consent <insert company name> inc.

in fact- on first day of every job i've had designer / drafter, signed nda (non-disclosure agreement), confidentiality agreement, , other document stated ideas come while working @ whatever company property of company... ideas... ideas property. had page list ideas had come before employment them exempt contract.

now, it's pretty obvious how 4 freedoms, richard stallman states, can't apply physical objects, @ least not until transporter , replicator invented, can apply engineering drawings , plans? sure- can buy consumer product , attempt reverse engineer it- there's lot of things can't, @ least not w/o great degree of trouble figure out, in manufacturing processing, materials, material treatments, tolerances, etc...

product developed under gpl? think it'd considerably harder develop software. software, can compile , test contribution code, test design product, need make prototypes, , labor isn't cheap, consider economy of scale prototype parts (10pcs vs 1000's...).

anyway- had me thinking. in end, whoever producing product charge costs + personal profits, , imagine if product contained form of patented technology, royalties due patent holder, until patent expired.

bm

a lot of hardware not not patented unpatentable because reasonable amount of skill in field obvious. that's why there zillion cell phone , pc makers, basic patents on technology expired long time ago.

can make yourself, patented or not, without running afoul of patent law. patent give right exclude else market. olpc project uses hardware developed under gpl, specs public , can make them without paying anything.

lot of ndas crap , not hold legal challenge. unless bright idea involves working on them , wrote in 1 of company notebooks or on company computer, nda meaningless, open ended non-compete agreements. thing can put feet fire on sharing proprietary company information.

lot of patents rescinded because patent applicant failed disclose pertinent information, explaining idea in public journal or mailing list years before. lot of microsofts patents fall category, that's why loath disclose them.

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