Collaborative Research

[a1call]

Hi all,

I would like to know your thoughts on the subject of collaborative research.
Are there resources on the internet to hook up potential individuals?
Are there tools or protocols to ensure intellectual property protection in case of disclosure and collaborative exchange?

Thank you in advance.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by a1call

Are there tools or protocols to ensure intellectual property protection in case of disclosure and collaborative exchange?

Unlikely.

In the case of patents, it all comes down to new (and non-obvious) inventions. And who are the first to file them with the patent office. Then it is simply a race condition; secrecy is key.

Trade secrets are, by definition, secrets.

Trade marks are symbols used in trade. Most people don't know this, but anyone can claim a trade mark by simply adding "TM" as a superscript after a name or image. An "R" with a circle around it means the trademark has been registered. In this case it all comes down to who used it first ^TM.

Edit: Oh, I forgot about Copyright... An artist gets an implicit ownership of all creative work produced by them. And this can be sold to companies (who were reclassified as a "Person" largely for IP reasons). See Copyright Term Extension Act for further details.

[a1call]

I'm not sure if patents have any real value. Case in point would be Tesla whose invention is powering the entire planet to this day and who died penniless and whose character assassination was so effective that to this day, hardly anyone knows about his contributions to humanity.

[VBCurtis]

Originally Posted by a1call

I'm not sure if patents have any real value. Case in point would be Tesla whose invention is powering the entire planet to this day and who died penniless and whose character assassination was so effective that to this day, hardly anyone knows about his contributions to humanity.

You say "case in point"- which patents failed to have value for him? Your post conflates invention with patent. Did he fail to enforce his patents? Were they stolen from him, or perhaps he worked for someone who claimed the patents (note the latter is a flaw in his employment agreement rather than the patent system)?

[a1call]

Originally Posted by VBCurtis

You say "case in point"- which patents failed to have value for him? Your post conflates invention with patent. Did he fail to enforce his patents? Were they stolen from him, or perhaps he worked for someone who claimed the patents (note the latter is a flaw in his employment agreement rather than the patent system)?

I suggest reading the entire article:

The investors showed little interest in Tesla's ideas for new types of motors and electrical transmission equipment. They were more interested in developing an electrical utility than inventing new systems.[67] They eventually forced Tesla out, leaving him penniless. He even lost control of the patents he had generated, since he had assigned them to the company in exchange for stock.[67] He had to work at various electrical repair jobs and as a ditch digger for $2 per day. Later in life Tesla would recount the winter of 1886/1887 as a time of hardship, writing "My high education in various branches of science, mechanics and literature seemed to me like a mockery".[68][66][19]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niko..._Manufacturing

He was also penniless when he died.

His patents:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List..._Tesla_patents

[CRGreathouse]

I suggest re-reading VBCurtis' post.

[a1call]

Thank you. I did. But I suggest reading the entire article and since I haven't done so myself, in case missing, other sources on how he was granted the patent for inverting the radio only after his death. And how despite that fact to this date most sources attribute that invention to Marconi.
I don't think his misfortune can be summarized as flaws in employment contact.
But that's just an extreme example. There are many patent holders who never profit from their invention, because other parties with company resources file slightly alerted versions of the same patent and profited from hard work of individual inventors.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by a1call

There are many patent holders who never profit from their invention...

MOST patent holders never profit from their invention(s).

Originally Posted by a1call

...because other parties with company resources file slightly alerted versions of the same patent and profited from hard work of individual inventors.

Yes. This is called "patent bracketing".

It's now a "big-boys" game (read: lots of money and staff are needed to play). Far removed from the original intent of "letters patent" to reward and foster innovation.

In the age of "patent trolls", companies such as IBM patent everything they can think of so they have a war chest to trade or counter-attack in the case of an attack and/or serious competition.

Edit: Drill down on "Apple vs. Samsung" as just one example of this. Billions of dollars at stake; tens of millions of dollars in legal fees. How can a lone inventor compete in such an environment?