Re: First to file, any comments

[Brian.Randell@newcastle.ac.uk <Brian.Randell@newcastle.ac.uk>]

Dave:

My belief is that the First to File rule greatly simplifies things
(including for small inventors), and greatly reduces the extent and expense
of legal battles over validity of patents. Here however the First to File
rule is butressed with what I am told is a much more thorough official
checking of a patent application prior to it being granted, as opposed to
the US practice of leaving this more to be sorted out by legal challenge,
should anyone care to and be able to make one.

However I claim no great expertise in these matters, even though I have
been involved in getting patents on both sides of the Atlantic. Thus I
stand open to correction.

Cheers

Brian


Dept. of Computing Science, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne,
NE1 7RU, UK
EMAIL = Brian.Randell@newcastle.ac.uk   PHONE = +44 91 222 7923
FAX = +44 91 222 8232