An idea to get around SP Patents...

[Jack_Dubious]

Sorry if this idea has been talked about before.....but...

couldnt a company sell thier electronic gun in pieces? Break the gun down into easily assembled components and sell the components separately. Would this bypass the patent laws?

say for example some enterprising guy opens 3 separate companies. one company makes a solenoid/ram/body housing, another company makes a switch/trigger frame, and the last company produces a circuit board. The end user just buys these 3 components and then assembles them into a gun. Would this work?


JDub

[hitech]

Couldn't a company sell thier electronic gun in pieces? ...Would this bypass the patent laws?

As far as I know that is specifically against the patent laws. Think about it, if it were that easy, everyone would do that to avoid the patent laws.

[Blazestorm]

That actually sounds pretty good... They don't sell an electronic marker, they sell parts for them, they just happen to assemble into one that a person can purchase...

I don't see how this would be by-passing the patent

[spantol]

That would be Contributory Patent Infringement:

Contributory infringement occurs whenever someone "offers to sell or sells ... a component of a patented machine, manufacture, combination or composition, or a material or apparatus for use in practicing a patented process, constituting a material part of the invention, knowing the same to be especially made or especially adapted for use in an infringement of such patent, and not a staple article or commodity of commerce suitable for substantial noninfringing use." 35 U.S.C. S 271(c).

[Jack_Dubious]

That would be Contributory Patent Infringement:

ah I knew someone would know Patent law. thanks spantol.

JDub