An odd feeling

While at work researching patents possibly related to a new idea I have that just might be patentable, I ran across a patent of mine that I had forgotten.

I was tracking down the patents referred to a in recently issued patent that was tangentially related to my new idea; unfortunately I have to be that thorough about these things. So, I looked at the full text and diagrams of the referred patents, making sure that my new idea wasn’t already covered. There was one patent that stood out in a way that I couldn’t quite place, so I payed particlar attention to it.

I didn’t recognize it from the title or the abstract, but when the first diagram appeared on the web browser I went back to look at the inventors.

There was my name as first inventor, no less.

Then I couldn’t resist the vanity search, and I discovered the company I worked for 13 years ago had been busy little bees after I had left and had obtained four patents in Japan that I had no idea existed (completely legitimate according to my contract).

I also had several patents issued by the European Union and recognized by the WTO from my current employer that I was also unaware of until today.

This all prompted some rather odd and uneasy feelings, knowing there are things out there with my name attached as “inventor” that I did not know existed.

Not completely coincidentally, there is a lot of uneasiness about the current system of patenting inventions in the United States.

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So the ground work for these patents was done while you were there at the previous employer, but the patents were not issued until later? Interesting - and a little odd. Shame that you don’t get anything for that…

It’s the way of things in my (and many idea-based) industry.

You trade a comparatively high salary and good bonuses for essentially prostituting your ideas, even after you have left.

I really can’t complain. I’ve made more than enough money over my career that even if it doesn’t approach what they’ve made off of my patents, I’m still doing damn well.

It’s all relative. I’m doing extremely well compared to 99.999% of humanity. I won’t pull a Joe Walsh and sing “I can’t complain but sometimes I still do”
;-)

Now that you mention patents:

I found this bizarre article about the German’s taking credit for the world’s great inventions. Germany’s government hired a PR firm to put it together. The title is: “German Stars: 50 Innovations Everyone Should Know About” Some of the claims include:

:: Inventor of the Light Bulb: Heinrich Gobel vs. Thomas Edison
:: Inventor of the Vacuum: Otto von Guericke vs. Evangelista Torricelli

It also indicates that Americans were not responsible for the inventions: Levi’s, the Telephone

Apparently the authors defended their work:
“It’s fair to say many German figures have made significant contributions to innovations, even if they don’t hold the patent.”

On the other hand, although Alexander Graham Bell was always credited for inventing the telephone and Thomas Edison the light bulb….I have heard and read through the years, that in actuality, someone else actually discovered and invented the technology…….. (wish I could remember who it was)
….but then, they didn’t hold the patent.

That bites.

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