Patents?

[hyvee_doughboy]

Hi all,

I'm not sure if any of you have had any experience with getting a patent for a program written in VB, but if you have, I have a few questions:

1. Roughly how much would it cost to place a patent on a piece of software?

2. Is there any "easy" way to do this, preferably without hiring a lawyer or that sort of thing.

3. If I do not get a patent, is anything stopping others from just grabbing my program and running?

Thanks all for your help. I really appreciate it.

-tom

[MartinLiss]

I don't believe that you can patent code, but you can copywrite it. Look up copywriting on the web. There are a lot of sources of information. As far as others grabbing your program and running, you need to make an effort to protect it. No way is perfect, but one way you can give a program reasonable protection is illustrated in the A program registration scheme link in my signature.

[hyvee_doughboy]

Thanks. That helped a bunch.

-tom

[hellswraith]

You can't patent code, but you can patent a technology...if that makes sense to you. Like amazon patented their one click buy button technology (don't ask how it ever went through). Just do a search about software patents and you will see the kind of things you can patent. You can more or less patent an idea and the implementation of the idea if the patent office agrees with you.

[Matt_T_hat]

Originally posted by MartinLiss
I don't believe that you can patent code, but you can copywrite it.

As soon as you create anything be it some boring blog drivvle or a masterfull poem of sublime understatement. As soon as you use you interlect and create a combination of stuff (text, code, sounds, paint, pixles) you own the interlectule rights to said stuff. So when you write code the copyright is already yours. All that remains are ways of protecting your rights.


help any?

[techgnome]

I read once that the best way to protect your code is to do the following:
Print out the source code.... all of it.
Put it into a large envelop (big enough to hold the print out).
SEAL IT! This is importaint. Seal it so that if it is ever opened, it would be obvious.
Go to the postal office and mail it back to you using registered mail. Be sure to get the option where you are required to sign for it. - The reason for this is that attached to the part that gets left on the package is the DATE and time.
Wait for it to arrive. Sign for it.
Put it in a safe place, but DO NOT OPEN IT! Then should you ever find yourself in court, you can produce the sealed document, complete with date to the court.