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Obama To Sign 'America Invents Act of 2011' Today

Posted by Soulskill on from the system-and-method-for-inhaling-oxygen dept.

ideonexus writes "President Obama will be signing the 'America Invents Act of 2011' into law today at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va. The bill will transition America from a 'first-to-invent" to a 'first-to-file" country, but critics argue that the bill fails to address the more important problem that 'nobody can tell what a patent covers until they've spent months or years working it out, often in the courts.'"

7 of 244 comments (clear)

  1. America Invents? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What kind of title is that? Doublespeak and marketing entering politics.

    1. Re:America Invents? by GameboyRMH · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Like the PATRIOT act. The title is an ironic opposite of what the act actually does.

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    2. Re:America Invents? by Enry · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Clear Skies Act, No Child Left Behind...

    3. Re:America Invents? by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 5, Insightful

      First to file.

      Now.

      Raise filing fees and barriers to protect incumbent interests.

      Why not? In Amerika today, money has already become the right to vote, and the right to speech.

      --
      "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
      Never been known to fail..."
  2. America by Dunbal · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Invents a better way to screw Americans.

    --
    Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
  3. Make sure you patent everything by Scootin159 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ... otherwise someone could easily steal your design, write up a patent for it, and beat you to the patent office. Now you're out of business unless you pay royalties to them because they beat you to the office first.

    Makes me wonder what FOSS software hasn't been patented yet, seems like all you need to do now is file a patent and you can claim ownership over a project that you had nothing to do with.

  4. so begins the whining.... by Lumpy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The defense against it is simple. Do your research and publish it ALL to the public. Release it and get it out there Creative commons licensing eliminates the possibility of your idea being patented and stolen from you.

    Stop being selfish asshats. Invent and release it to the wild.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.