Re:MPEG LA Announces Call for Patents Essential to VP8 Video...
by dchest on Friday February 11, 2011 @11:52AM
(#2207066)
No, the statement is "things have to be patented...". It's incorrect because you can either patent it, or publish without acquiring a patent. (I'm focusing on this part, because the statement was made to justify patenting. It's not, you don't have to patent anything.)
If I invent something, and neither sell it or make it known to the public (thus it continues to meet the novelty requirement), then there is nothing preventing someone else from patenting said invention.