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Blue LED Inventor Loses Patent Fight

Posted by Hemos on from the not-just-the-us-patent-system dept.

Swamp writes "Just a little heads-up for you engineers. The Mainichi Daily News is running this story saying 'A Nobel Prize candidate who invented a blue light-emitting diode (LED) used for display panels has no patent rights over the product as he conceded it to his former employer, a court ruled Thursday.' 'Japan's Patent Law provides that researchers who invent products as part of their company jobs have the patent for them, but adds that their employers can claim the patent after paying "deserving bonuses" to the inventors.' I guess not even being a Nobel Prize [contender] gives you credit anymore." His 20,000 yen bonus is about US$162 now.

5 of 278 comments (clear)

  1. Labor/Capital balance gone awry? by OhYeah! · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This reminds me of Kary Mullis who invented PCR. His company was sold for $700M on the basis of that invention, he got a $10K bonus.

    Scientists should unionize - they typically so involved in their work that they end up getting the *shaft* monetarily, while MBA monkeys soak up all the profits.

  2. I can see both sides by Trepidity · · Score: 5, Interesting

    On the one hand, it is true that patent law is becoming increasingly skewed against individual inventors. But on the other hand, if your job at a company is to come up with new ideas and methods of doing [whatever your particular field is], it wouldn't make much sense if you could come up with them, patent them, and then hold the company hostage, demanding they license your ideas. I mean that was what they were paying you for in the first place.

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    10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
  3. Re:No offense but... by evilviper · · Score: 3, Interesting
    I'm sure there is no law in japan stopping him from quitting and starting his own lab with his own money.


    1. Work on revolutionary product for firm with deep pockets
    2. Make a major breakthrough
    3. Hide major breakthrough from employers
    4. Quit your job
    5. Spend a little to open (what you will tell everyone, is) a lab.
    6. Spend hours in lab, watching TV
    7. Come out with patentable idea that you invented in your "lab".
    8. Patent Idea
    9. ???
    10. Profit!

    Yeah, longer than the usual 3/4-step process, but it works out much better.
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  4. Re:Just thought I'd point it out. by F13 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    midori - green

    but as i understand it Aoi is blue/green

    aoi umi - blue sea

    aoi shibafu - green grass

  5. At the very least... by emil · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ...Nichia should endow a chair at a major research institute and arrange to have Nakamura granted tenure.

    Nakamura's profession is scientific research. If relations have soured between Nichia and Nakamura to the extent that direct cooperation between them is no longer possible, then at the very least Nichia should arrange a setting where Nakamura can continue his research elsewhere.

    Lots of companies endow chairs at major universities, and there are significant tax benefits for doing so. Nakamura also has obviously wasted a large part of his career on this pointless lawsuit, and might welcome such an opportunity to return to his passion.

    Even if Nakamura has no interest in such an offer, the PR value for Nichia would be inestimable... right now their PR position seems very, very bad to me.

    Nichia, be a magnanimous victor.