Re: [compost_tea] Re:pretty close to compost tea!
Titel and others:
The barter marketplace is still one that is not totally controlled by the g=
ummint even though there are efforts underway to tax bartered labor and mer=
chandise. Because it is so difficult to track and so few people actually a=
dmit to bartered trade, it will take some mighty stringent enforcement to g=
et this controlled.
Selling anything that offers medical results such as a cold cure or cancer =
cure are still areas that are "gray" areas. By this I mean that the people=
working in those areas may be producing things in a way that is uncounted =
for by any regulatory agency. If you remember DMSO4 which was a turpentine=
derivitave that people felt eased joint pain was one such area. The gummi=
nt has since passed legislation that controls anything that has a secondary=
medical use. So you can sell your mix but cannot sell it as a cure without=
FDA testing and authorization. The herbal and vitamin industry operate in =
the fringe area and are mostly self regulating. If you read labels, however=
, you notice that the producers have been forced to limit medical claims. T=
here's still a lot of wiggle room there though.
Yes, you could make your Dr. Titel's Elixir and even get a "poor man's copy=
right/patent" by mailing the ingredients to yourself or simply taking your =
papers to the patent office and getting a patent pending number. This means=
you are saying "to the best of my knowledge this is original work and I am=
claiming it as such from <date>." A patent search costs a lot of money. =
It's about $350K to $700K to have a lawyer conduct a patent search. You do=
n't need that. If a company comes along and recreates your work, you may b=
e able to get a percentage of what they do because you came up with the ide=
a first and can prove it. Even if they claim they never say your stuff, yo=
u can make the claim because of a weird interpretation in the law that basi=
cally protects you, the original creator, as having changed perception beca=
use of the work you did and this change enabled the other company to get to=
their product when they wouldn't have gotten there before."
If you enter a contract with a company to do a specific task and they give =
you the materials and provide a means to do the task and you sign a contrac=
t that states that "any invention, product, process or method you come up w=
ith as a result of that work is the property of the company", you have no l=
eg to stand on even if you were the only person who could have come up with=
the process. That actually happend to me and all I got was a nice letter.=
When I pointed out that my work saved the company about $12M, they relent=
ed and cut me a check but it was a token amount considering the ramificatio=
ns of my work.
If you sign a contract that states that you have rights to processes that a=
re discovered in coincidence to the work you are doing, you are safer but c=
ompanies are usually greedy and seldom sign such stuff. There is also the =
chance that the company will have no interest in what you come up with and =
release interest. IBM did this with Bill Gates because they thought that h=
ardware had a future and that software meant nothing. The Bank Of Canada r=
eleased the rights to Omegamon to Aubry Chernick and he went on to make it =
into most widely used mainfram diagnostic program on the planet. So if you=
find something as a coincidence of the work you are doing, patent or copyr=
ight it under your name. Then go to the company and say that you developed=
something and are interested in seeing if they want to do anything with it=
. You may just get a release from any contract restrictions you have. If =
not, you can just do nothing with the patent/copyright or you can assign it=
to the company. Now, most companies have a date limit on the work you do.=
Usually it's a year and this has held up in court. So if you really find=
something great, quit the company, mow lawns or wash cars or clean windows=
or pump gas for a year while you develop your idea then go find some VCs (=
Not the soldiers but the capitalists) and see if you can get some developme=
nt money. If it is in the same field as the company you worked for, you wil=
l eventually lose it without a release form. If it is a different field yo=
u will probably have no trouble until you get big then they will come after=
you as a matter of course whether they have a case or not.
I am a registered Libertarian. According to Drew Carey, that's a Republici=
an who still gets high. But I am not hard core. For example, I think that=
we need a nationalized healthcare system and we need it fast. I believe i=
n public service as a part of citizenship. If you serve in either a domest=
ic program like vista, head-start or an international program like the mili=
tary or peace corps for four years, you get free medical for life. If you =
choose not to serve, you have to pay but nothng like the exhorbitant amount=
s you have to pay now. I'm glad Bush took the fight to the terrorists rath=
er than waiting for another attack. Even if mistakes are made, I want them=
made on foreign soil not ours. I am a decorated Vietnam Vetaran who is Sp=
ecial Forces (You know them as Green Berets) qualified and served in combat=
. My inservice combat experience was 26 months continuous then as a contra=
ctor after that. I cannot possibly bring myself to vote for Kerry.
Received on Thu Oct 07 2004 - 23:09:31 EDT
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: Tue Feb 07 2012 - 14:15:30 EST