FIRST's patents

[EricH]

Jeff, as I understand the purpose of a patent, it is to both protect and to proliferate.

The idea: Some guy comes up with some crazy idea that will make life better, but the technology hasn't caught up yet or he can't get funding. He's got time to do either one, but he's in a car accident and dies after months in the hospital. His idea, which wasn't really recorded for fear of somebody else stealing it, dies with him.

So, the patent serves to document the idea. However, most inventors don't like their inventions going public and having somebody else make money off of a stolen invention. So they don't like the idea of a patent.

So, patents have a limited life. For commercial use, you have to a) own the patent, b) get a license from the patent holder, or c) buy the patent from the patent holder, unless of course you like getting sued for breach of patent. However, for individual use, nobody really cares. Once the patent "expires" (they don't, you just can't sue for breach of patent), it's anybody's game. First one to the idea can make money, if you so choose. You can only renew by improving the device, IIRC. You can also make it better and get your own patent and you can't be sued.

And the patent holder has the option to not go after patent violations.

To make matters more fun, if you read the full patent...
It has the 2003 game rules. Even FIRST doesn't use most of those anymore... Other than the "standard" ones.

My guess is that FIRST was trying to publish their idea to get it out to more people and will choose not to enforce the patent during its life.