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MIT Sues Sony over digital TV

Posted by Hemos on from the battle-of-odd-giants dept.

dfinney wrote to us with a story from The Tech, concerning MIT suing Sony. Basically, MIT claims to have a number of patents, has worked with other folks in the industry, sez they've talked with Sony for a year, no headway, don't want to sue, but have key claims - etc etc.

4 of 160 comments (clear)

  1. Re:It's 'bout time they paid up. by Zico · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Of course if the roles were reversed, most people here would be telling us how evil patents are and talking about boycotting Sony. Funny how that works, huh?

  2. Re:graduate student inventions by Rimbo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    That can make the ethical question of ownership of those ideas a bit murky: graduate students aren't exactly getting paid a lot, and what they do get paid often doesn't come from MIT funds (but instead from fellowships and government grants). Of course, legally, you can be sure that MIT's lawyers have it all nailed down airtight.

    What the graduate students get out of it is that when they get their Ph.D., they are the foremost experts in the world in one subject. From the time of their discovery to the point they publish, they alone know the answer to a problem many people (if they choose their battles wisely) want answered.

    The point of academia is fame, not fortune. People who want to make their discoveries and get paid well for them go into industry, or become entrepreneurs. Academia is where you may not get paid for your idea, but everyone considers you an expert, and you get speaking engagements, press interviews, and the like.

  3. Re:graduate student inventions by krmt · · Score: 4, Insightful

    While you're right about things being murky, you do have to remember that the University does fund a great deal, including lab space, supplies, and even simple administrative stuff like waste disposal (critical for biohazard), mail, phone, and internet. While salaries don't really come from anything but grants and Teaching Assistant stipends, the University does provide a lot of important stuff.

    I totally agree that the inventor should get a significant cut of the pie (I'm biased though, being an undergrad lab assistant ;-) you can't cut out the University because they are critical for a lot of reasons.

    --

    "I may not have morals, but I have standards."

  4. Re:It's 'bout time they paid up. by handorf · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If the situation were reversed, MIT wouldn't stand to make billions off the stolen tech.

    --
    -- IANAEG - I am not an elder god.