Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Google Tried to Patent My Work After a Job Interview

patentpandas.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–110 of 510 posts

Re: Google Tried to Patent My Work After a Job Interview

#101

Post by rkangel »

paul7986 wrote: post #91

I met/had a similar experience with Google ATAP in 2013 (was Motorala ATAP then; Google recently bought them) though not for a job interview but to discuss working together to build our tech SpeakerBlast into the Moto X. They asked if we ever thought about selling our technology to them before the meeting and at the meeting they baited us for how our tech worked saying we'd like to work with you tell us how it works.…

This is (one of the reasons) why you sign NDAs before discussing your technology.

Re: Google Tried to Patent My Work After a Job Interview

#102

Post by bsaul »

seangrant wrote: post #89
hajderr wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Rational move". Think about that for a second. Morally wrong doesn't really reach anyone's mind these days.

How would it look if someone else got the patent and completely blocked Google? It's not even a question for large companies. The issue is this archaic patent and copyright system where someone "owns" an idea... Absurd.

This type of argument doesn’t stand here. Since the truth is that there is prior art, and the right thing to do is to make sure nobody got the patent, google could have make sure nobody get the patent.

Ironically that’s what they ended up doing, but i doubt it was on purpose.

Re: Google Tried to Patent My Work After a Job Interview

#103

Post by kbutler »

georgeek wrote: post #94

Just a reminder that Google, or any company for that matter, has a fiduciary duty towards their shareholders to file a patent for everything they have learned about and that hasn't been patented yet.

There's a common myth that companies have "a fiduciary duty" to make as much money as possible (especially short-term), but this has no basis in law in the US.

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/13-354.html "modern corporate law does not require for-profit corporations to pursue profit at the expense of everything else, and many do not do so... a for-profit corporation may take costly pollution-control and energy-conservation measures that go beyond what the law requires. A for-profit corporation that operates facilities in other countries may exceed the requirements of local law regarding working conditions and benefits. "

https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/04/16/what-are-co... "companies that maximize profits by firing employees, avoiding taxes, selling shoddy products or polluting the environment can harm their shareholders more than helping them."

Re: Google Tried to Patent My Work After a Job Interview

#104

Post by paul7986 »

rkangel wrote: post #101
paul7986 wrote: post #91

I met/had a similar experience with Google ATAP in 2013 (was Motorala ATAP then; Google recently bought them) though not for a job interview but to discuss working together to build our tech SpeakerBlast into the Moto X. They asked if we ever thought about selling our technology to them before the meeting and at the meeting they baited us for how our tech worked saying we'd like to work with you tell us how it works.…

This is (one of the reasons) why you sign NDAs before discussing your technology.

A mutual NDA was signed as seen here https://ryanspahn.com/motorola-google-Expired-NDA2013.pdf.

We started SpeakerBlast in March 2013 & were meeting with Google in April 2013. We filed a provisional before the meeting & have a patent in the patent office.

Re: Google Tried to Patent My Work After a Job Interview

#105

Post by geezerjay »

dimator wrote: post #66
geezerjay wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Did you read Google's visitor agreement. You give up some IP rights by signing that. I guess the "don't be evil" thing is already well down the toilet. What's that all about? A new form of tribute when you're called upon to kiss Google's ring?

I'm pretty sure all companies do similar.

> I'm pretty sure all companies do similar.

1) that's false

2) that doesn't make it less evil, let alone acceptable

Re: Google Tried to Patent My Work After a Job Interview

#106

Post by rkangel »

CalChris wrote: post #34

Regina Dugan is a former head of DARPA as well as ATAP. She has an impressive resume. Why would she do something like this? For a not particularly important patent, LED popup books? It seems bizarre. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina_E._Dugan

Julian Assange did culture shifting work with Wikileaks, but allegedly sexually assaulted 2 women.

Adrian Peterson is possibly the best running back to ever play in the NFL, but has recently admitted that he still beats his children.

Steve Jobs created products that advanced how we use technology in our every day lives by leaps and bounds, but by all accounts was cruel to his daughter.

People can achieve amazing, important things in their professional life, but it's no indication that they're good people.

Re: Google Tried to Patent My Work After a Job Interview

#107

Post by kbutler »

gammateam wrote: post #76
TheDong wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> [a] patent [keeps thhe project alive] too > perfect for a 20 year exclusivity period So for 20 years, if I wish to create and sell a book with transistors I have to license the idea from google (that is if they're even willing to give me a license)? And somehow having to go through that legal loophole will keep the art of creating LED books alive? You seriously believe that? Does the patent have complex details whi…

> So for 20 years, if I wish to create and sell a book with transistors I have to license the idea from google (that is if they're even willing to give me a license)? No. Google wasn't supposed to try and patent it. I responded to a very specific piece of the article which seemed to ignore that patent applications functioning as prior art is available to subculture enthusiasts too. The whole concluding paragraph was…

The problems with patents as prior art for new inventions are manifold:

- The common advice is for practitioners to avoid learning about existing patents, because this knowledge increases liability in case you are found to infringe. This means that the body of patented work is really only useful for patent lawyers, rather than for inventors.

- Similarly, patents are not written in ways to instruct practitioners to use techniques, but instead crafted in legal terms to claim broad areas of application while skirting previously filed patent claims. This again makes the patent library only useful to lawyers.

- In areas where patents are not common, there is a green field for patent applications that patent common techniques. This happened in software and business methods, and the article suggests it is happening in the junction of enthusiasts and crafts.

Re: Google Tried to Patent My Work After a Job Interview

#108

Post by bspn »

paul7986 wrote: post #104
rkangel wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is (one of the reasons) why you sign NDAs before discussing your technology.

A mutual NDA was signed as seen here https://ryanspahn.com/motorola-google-Expired-NDA2013.pdf . We started SpeakerBlast in March 2013 & were meeting with Google in April 2013. We filed a provisional before the meeting & have a patent in the patent office.

NDAs generally aren't worth the paper they're written on, but holy hell is that one a piece of work. The "residuals" concept basically gives them an open invite to copy anything they like so long as they didn't "intentionally memorize" it. Establishing intent is no easy task.

Re: Google Tried to Patent My Work After a Job Interview

#109

Post by StudentStuff »

setquk wrote: post #98

It’s down to individuals rather than culture in these things. By purely statistics, an organisation of any size has less than ethical people in it even if they have the best outward impression. Unfortunately these sorts of people tend to favour power and slowly work their way to positions that give them that. Then the whole org is a bad apple. Having been in a similar situation before, the correct answer is “I’ll get…

Repeated unethical behavior is not the fault of a few bad actors, but of an organization designed to encourage that behavior. I wouldn't discount Google as being at fault seeing as how we already have two instances of Google's ATAP committing patent fraud despite little research and outreach being done.

One fun fact I stumbled across is any misconduct when filing for a patent voids the entire patent application, not just the claims that the misconduct occurred in: https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/s2016.html

Re: Google Tried to Patent My Work After a Job Interview

#110

Post by rkangel »

bspn wrote: post #108
paul7986 wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A mutual NDA was signed as seen here https://ryanspahn.com/motorola-google-Expired-NDA2013.pdf . We started SpeakerBlast in March 2013 & were meeting with Google in April 2013. We filed a provisional before the meeting & have a patent in the patent office.

NDAs generally aren't worth the paper they're written on, but holy hell is that one a piece of work. The "residuals" concept basically gives them an open invite to copy anything they like so long as they didn't "intentionally memorize" it. Establishing intent is no easy task.

The one thing that NDAs do extremely well, and the reason that companies like them signed is protect against prior art (the opposite of what we're talking about above). Without an NDA, if you've had a conversation with another company about your tech, then it has become public domain and you can be prevented from patenting. With NDA that problem doesn't exist.
Post reply on HN