How to read patents
When reading patents, the most important part of a patent are the "claims". These are the ideas that are covered by the patent. It's a common mistake think of the abstract as a summary - it is not a summary. Prior art is useful if it shows that someone has already done what's in the claims.
DafdhT <a href="http://cqkbhzgjvkeh.com/">cqkbhzgjvkeh</a>, [url=http://ftjtrznknwri.com/]ftjtrznknwri[/url], [link=http://iomumzwqxfue.com/]iomumzwqxfue[/link], http://pijjaxotevzc.com/
Contents
How to spot "software" claims
Patents can include claims on a mix of software and hardware ideas. When we say "hardware ideas", we mean claims that can only by infringed by making or distributing hardware. Here are example(s) of keywords that indicate that a claim might cover an idea which a software developer or software distributor might use:
- A method for... (at least in the USA)
Files are not just bits
To be a good technician / computer scientist, you have to be able to see past the purpose of files. A video is no more special than an image or a song. They're all just files of bits. But, in law, the purpose is important.
Related pages on ESP Wiki
- Reading case law
- Searching for patents
- State of the art - what is "prior art"?
- Design patents - which are not the same as normal patents
- Software patents are unreadable
- Patent governance
- What to do if worried by a software patent