Re:A 23andMe Patent
by ourmandave on Thursday October 03, 2013 @07:19AM
(#6488160)
...nor do we have any plans to do so.
Until such time as there's a new owner or we're bought by Evil Co., etc.
Every time I read a best intentions phrase like that it reminds me of the company that promised, "Never to share your email with anyone. Ever."
Until they went bankrupt and one of the assets sold off was their customer database.
Re:A 23andMe Patent
by CaptainZapp on Thursday October 03, 2013 @07:56AM
(#6488275)
reminds me of the company that promised, "Never to share your email with anyone. Ever."
Having a patent doesn't force you to make or sell the product - there are a gazillion patents of things that turn out to be impractical because the problem is too narrow or there is another, better solution.
So no, there aren't any direct consequences of that, they have disclosed the "invention" in the actual patent text, and after patent expiry everybody will be able to use that patent text for their products if they wish so.
Isn't this a direct violation of the principles of patents? A patent gives you protection to work on an invention, so that you have a monopoly to sell that invention and thus cover the costs of developing it. But here they have the patent, thus preventing anyone else selling the invention, but they are not selling the invention themselves.
I'm interested about law. (Not saying this is relevant to 23&me.) Can you patent a process for an illegal action? So, a business process that enables tax evasion (not avoidance)?