23rd July 2010, 3:46 PM
http://insidetech.monster.com/news/artic...ens-to-sue
There's two things I want to say about this. Firstly, this is just a really powerful laser. It's actually frightening. The thing sounds more dangerous than a fire arm. It's not a light saber.
However, the second point is more important. Lucas may own the copyright for light sabers in their use in FICTION, but he doesn't own the PATENT for them, because THEY AREN'T REAL. IF someone down the line actually manages to invent one, Lucas would have NO grounds for a lawsuit, because he won't be able to show any schematics or a functioning light saber to back up his claim that he "invented" it first. Copyright and patent are two different things.
Someone who imagines some fictional device, but who only imagines it's function, not in any way aware of how the thing could ever actually work, has no claim to patent over someone who actually does all the engineering work and invents the device in reality. Paramount couldn't sue someone for inventing a transporter.
There's two things I want to say about this. Firstly, this is just a really powerful laser. It's actually frightening. The thing sounds more dangerous than a fire arm. It's not a light saber.
However, the second point is more important. Lucas may own the copyright for light sabers in their use in FICTION, but he doesn't own the PATENT for them, because THEY AREN'T REAL. IF someone down the line actually manages to invent one, Lucas would have NO grounds for a lawsuit, because he won't be able to show any schematics or a functioning light saber to back up his claim that he "invented" it first. Copyright and patent are two different things.
Someone who imagines some fictional device, but who only imagines it's function, not in any way aware of how the thing could ever actually work, has no claim to patent over someone who actually does all the engineering work and invents the device in reality. Paramount couldn't sue someone for inventing a transporter.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)