Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #07137
To: beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
From: JVernonM@aol.com
Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 11:00:29 EDT
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: Micro Motors, Skitters, and BeetleBots
In a message dated 10/29/99 6:43:49 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
evandude@yahoo.com writes:
> doncha hate it when people use stuff like that without
> checking with mark tilden (assuming they probably
> didnt)??? grr... someone should tell mark, at the
> very least make sure they checked with him...
I know, lets light torches and drive the heretics to the old mill, then when
they're inside we set it on fire and...When did we become the police of BEAM
tech? How do you know they didn't already dot their Is, or cross their Ts? Or
is this another example of anyone other than Dave automatically being branded
a vile thief if they even hint that they may want a piece of the BEAM pie?
We're supposed to just shut up, hang our heads and give all our money to one
source, no matter how outrageous their pricing is. Right? Support monopolies!
It's the BEAM way!
Please repeat after me:
Mark is God!
Dave is Midas!
BEAM is holy!
All praise BEAM!
Now repeat until your eyes glaze over and you drool.
This is an editorial comment on prevailing attitudes and in no way is comment
on any one individual or entity. Lawyers, huh, don't ya just love 'em?
See ya,
Jim
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/8281/beamart.html
7138 Fri, 29 Oct 1999 11:33:59 EDT [alt-beam] Re: Micro Motors, Skitters, and BeetleBots beam@sgiblab.sgi.com JVernonM@aol.com In a message dated 10/29/99 3:07:17 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
ian@beam-online.com writes:
> But the patent did run out so theres no problem with this kind of thing
> right? Or did I miss something?
>
Yep, I think you did. This seems to be what a lot of people are thinking. The
Patent did indeed expire. I have my doubts as to what it protected anyway. If
you read the thing, you would have seen that it was all about an analog
controller utilizing timed pulses to move robotic actuators. I never
understood the legality of this since Walters was doing that 50 years ago. I
just don't think it would have held up under the double speak of the modern
court room. The real issue here, and always was, one of copyright. You know,
that little symbol or blurb at the bottom of all those schematics. That is
the real protection, and thanks to Clinton, is automatic. It not only covers
Mark's circuits, it covers Wilf's, Steve Bolt's, and Craig Maynard's. If you
sell a product using one or more of these circuits, you are deep in legal
territory. Patent or no patent. Which, in my opinion, is why the patent was
no longer maintained. It was useless fluff. It was undefendable in court. And
it was completely unnecessary when compared to the protection of copyright.
So, I would humbly suggest anyone planning to sell these circuits, check with
the author first.
See ya,
Jim
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/8281/beamart.html
7139 Fri, 29 Oct 1999 12:18:19 -0600 [alt-beam] Re: Micro Motors, Skitters, and BeetleBots beam@sgiblab.sgi.com Dave Hrynkiw At 05:34 AM 10/29/99 , Bob Shannon wrote:
>Ian Bernstein wrote:
>
> > Hi
> >
> > But the patent did run out so theres no problem with this kind of thing
> > right? Or did I miss something?
>
>What makes you think the 'popper' design was ever protected by a patent?
Popper design doesn't have to be. It's _copyright_. But that only applies
if they use the same circuit...
-Dave
---------------------------------------------------------------
"Um, no - that's H,R,Y,N,K,I,W. No, not K,I,U,U, K,I,_W_. Yes,
that's right. Yes, I know it looks like "HOCKYRINK." Yup, only
2 vowels. Pronounciation? _SMITH_".
http://www.solarbotics.com
7140 Fri, 29 Oct 1999 12:20:03 -0600 [alt-beam] Re: Micro Motors, Skitters, and BeetleBots beam@sgiblab.sgi.com Dave Hrynkiw At 09:00 AM 10/29/99 , JVernonM@aol.com wrote:
>Right? Support monopolies!
>It's the BEAM way!
>Please repeat after me:
>Mark is God!
>Dave is Midas!
>BEAM is holy!
>All praise BEAM!
>Now repeat until your eyes glaze over and you drool.
Oh no... I thought this discussion was dead!
<8-|
-Dave
---------------------------------------------------------------
"Um, no - that's H,R,Y,N,K,I,W. No, not K,I,U,U, K,I,_W_. Yes,
that's right. Yes, I know it looks like "HOCKYRINK." Yup, only
2 vowels. Pronounciation? _SMITH_".
http://www.solarbotics.com
7141 Sat, 30 Oct 1999 08:00:02 +1000 [alt-beam] Re: Micro Motors, Skitters, and BeetleBots beam@sgiblab.sgi.com robmc@acay.com.au Copyright applies to original work so just make your circuit original and there
is nothing to worry about.
Copyright doesn't hold over some things which have been placed in the public
domain.
Rob
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