CA makes a patent pledge [LWN.net]

CA makes a patent pledge

Posted Sep 7, 2005 18:55 UTC (Wed) by xtifr (subscriber, #143)
In reply to: CA makes a patent pledge by cpm
Parent article: CA makes a patent pledge

I'm not sure (your writing is rather unclear), but I think you're thinking of trademarks. Trademarks have to be actively defended against all misuse, or they can be lost. Patents can be selectively enforced at the patent-holder's whim without prejudice (mostly, though see "estoppel"). The flip side of this is that trademarks can last forever, unless they're lost or abandoned, while patents are limited to 20 years.

Or at least that's my understanding. IANAL, but I do read Groklaw sometimes.... :)

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CA makes a patent pledge

Posted Sep 7, 2005 22:42 UTC (Wed) by nix (subscriber, #2304) [Link]

Well, you can have your patent revoked if you intentionally don't enforce it for ages and then suddenly change your tactics.

Mind you, this is hardly ever enforced: the only case I can think of is someone who kept his patents pending by submitting constant paltry amendments for literally decades, then his heirs (!) started enforcing them, and lost them.

But it has to be *really* excessive.