From: jbradford@dial.pipex.com
Message-Id: <200209171202.g8HC2vpm001844@darkstar.example.net>
Subject: Re: Hi is this critical??
To: alan@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk (Alan Cox)
Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 13:02:57 +0100 (BST)
Cc: rmk@arm.linux.org.uk, andre@linux-ide.org, nuitari@balthasar.nuitari.net,
       venom@sns.it, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, xavier.bestel@free.fr,
       mark@veltzer.org
In-Reply-To: <1032261473.14015.31.camel@irongate.swansea.linux.org.uk> from "Alan Cox" at Sep 17, 2002 12:17:53 PM
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> On Tue, 2002-09-17 at 12:09, Russell King wrote:
> > Then you find out that its been used in the world cup.  You try to
> > return it to the vendor, but the vendor says its your fault for
> > dropping the drive.  You protest, but the vendor refuses to listen
> > because they've got their technology that says so in their product.
> 
> Then you take them to the small claims court. Its their burden of proof.
> Or in the US I imagine you file a class action lawsuit, but before you
> can file it the features go away because someone else sues them for
> patent infringement instead ;)

I want to file a patent on using hard disks as footballs.  I claim prior art, because I kicked a, (non-functional), disk across a room in front of the person who owned it, (with their permission), about five years ago, and they would verify that.

So, how do I go about filing a patent request in the EU, Japan, and the U.S.A.?

Incidently unlimited permission is granted to use disks containing only GNU/Linux software as footballs without royalties.  All other usage of disks as footballs will be considered on a per case basis.

Note that this only applies to hard disks, (IDE and SCSI), *NOT* floppy disks, or optical media.

John.
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