Quote:
Originally Posted by totus44
That was true as of March 16, 2013. The US is now First Inventor to File (FITF) and no longer First to Invent (FTI). As I understand it, public disclosure by the inventor does not invalidate patentability as long as the filing takes place within a year. But it also means that someone that sees this invention and builds their own can get a patent if they are the first to file even if they were not the first to invent. So disclosures may be used to vet out prior art or refine the invention, but at your own risk. I will add that some believe that disclosures like this one will actually protect the inventor. There are other nuances to the changes in patent law, I recommend all inventors to read up and consult counsel as strategies need to be amended.
Good luck.
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Very interesting.
Thanks for the heads-up on the recent changes...