Patents

[Mark-VA]

Since both Tesoro and White's have closed down, who owns the rights to the patents and related board information?
Maybe 1st Texas!

[surfdetector]

Since both Tesoro and White's have closed down, who owns the rights to the patents and related board information?
Maybe 1st Texas!

Garrett purchased the intellectual property of White's.

[Mark-VA]

Thanks for the information. Interesting to see if and when Garrett releases a detector with any of the White's properties.

Garrett purchased the intellectual property of White's.

[Carl-NC]

And Tesoro had no active patents so their IP is free for anyone to use.

[Melbeta]

This brings a thought to my mind, how long does patent rights exist, from the date the patent was issued by the federal government? Are there any rights beyond the patent rights, which could bring about an lawsuit??? I have heard the words Intellectual Rights, what are those kind of rights???

And ownership rights, still held within the companies??? Really curious on this question...

How long is factory patent protection to a factory schematic, if there is such a law? I know patents expire, but are there rights due to a company, beyond the patent rights? So what about the schematics and their rights to the actual detector units? Does a modification made by an buyer to a detector unit, give him rights to modify the factory units, without the factory rights being violated???

Just curious, as I have seen out in the internet, both factory schematics and consumer made schematics. Any law protections on those kinds of schematics?

Are any people breaking any unknown laws by even discussing the detectors??? Really curious on what we may not know.....
Melbeta

[Carl-NC]

Patents are valid for 20 years after the first priority date (usually the filing date).

Intellectual property is a vague term that usually applies to employment contracts. That is, when I left White's I agreed to not disclose their intellectual property to FTP.

Factory schematics are only protected under copyright law. Patent law doesn't apply. Anyone can draw out a schematic from the PCB and the company has no recourse on that. Interestingly, the person who draws out a schematic from the PCB then owns the copyright for their own artwork.

Anyone can also modify detectors and freely discuss the technology. We can also freely discuss patents and even build and demonstrate patented methods as long as it's for the purpose of evaluating the patent.

[Mark-VA]

But where is all the data with each of the Tesoro detectors. Component specs, settings, system drawings. I still believe Tesoro had some of the very best audio signatures for detectors. Or maybe it was because you had to rely on the audio, so your ears actually tuned in better for the target response.

[Carl-NC]

All that died with the company. Or maybe Vince gave it all to Rusty Henry, I don't know.

[detectormods]

Plenty of the fundamental Minelab patents have now expired and it really amazes me that no one has built a competing pulse induction detector, the Chinese seem to be the copy artists but also zero innovation.