On 24-Nov-08 18:41, Darren New wrote:
> This is actually a real-live patent application.
> 
> http://www.boingboing.net/2008/11/17/halliburton-tries-to.html
> 
>
http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20080270152&OS=20080270152&RS=20080270152

> 
> 
I heard another way to make money from the patent system a few weeks ago 
when preparing to write my own patent.
The idea is simple. A lawyer writes a letter to a company that holds a 
patent claiming that it is going to sue that company because the patent 
is invalid. Either because of non originality or prior art. The neat 
thing is that often you can indeed find that if you search deep enough, 
mostly because an inventor has talked about it to somebody before filing 
the patent. And indeed most patents are rather obvious. Anyway you don't 
have to specify on what grounds you are going to contest the patent 
because you only have to start an investigation after the company 
refuses to pay you for dropping the case. Even if you don't succeed, the 
company will have to spend much more money in defending than in paying 
you, so they will think twice the next time.

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