Re: IP transfer question

"richard mullens" <mullensdeletethis@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:fQI3e.3642$p71.3204@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> This is sci.electronics.design.
>
> Here, people give of their time and experience in the furtherance of the
> spread electronic design knowledge to those with a genuine interest in
> electronics (rather than freeloaders who just want a shortcut).
>
> Your question, which is more about restricting the freedoms of others, is
> liable to get short shrift from the commies on this group (I count myself
> among them) - but doubtless there will be a few who sympathise with you.
>
> If you have to ask a question like this, then my advice would be that you
> do it elsewhere.


You seem to have misunderstood both me and my question. I apologize if that
misunderstanding was due to a lack of clarity on my part.

But I confess, I do not see what part of my question was unclear. Are you
under the impression that contracts are bad? Or that licensing another's
designs is bad? Or that evolving someone else's design is bad? Or that
asking opinions is bad?

If I may clarify:

I know a fellow who, after an illustrious career as an engineer himself, is
retiring. I am considering taking over the manufacture of some of his
products. Admittedly I could simply have designed competing products
myself; but I have always felt that if a good product is on the market at a
reasonable price, I would be serving the public and the industry better to
focus my efforts elsewhere. So, I waited until an opportunity came up to
license his products.

That opportunity has arisen, and I am trying to pursue it. I am happy to
pay him a fair royalty. However, I want to be fair to both of us; and so I
want to write a contract that deprives neither of us of our due. He should
be entitled to royalties on his design; I should be entitled to ownership of
my own designs, and to my improvements on his design.

This is a common situation, and a common problem. I am simply wondering
what the customary solution to it is. I could pay an IP lawyer a large
amount of money to get a single opinion, which I might or might not trust;
but thankfully I also have this forum as a recourse, where there are many
skilled engineers who have probably encountered this problem at one time or
another and who are willing to share their opinion.


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: IP transfer question
    ... people give of their time and experience in the furtherance of the spread electronic design knowledge to those with a genuine interest in electronics. ... I could pay an IP lawyer a large amount of money to get a single opinion, which I might or might not trust; but thankfully I also have this forum as a recourse, where there are many skilled engineers who have probably encountered this problem at one time or another and who are willing to share their opinion. ... post, chickensh_t pseudo-intellectual and pseudo-sophisticated scum of the earth, coward, liar, and thief. ...
    (sci.electronics.design)
  • Re: IP transfer question
    ... people give of their time and experience in the furtherance of the spread electronic design knowledge to those with a genuine interest in electronics. ... You seem to have misunderstood both me and my question. ...
    (sci.electronics.design)
  • Re: IP transfer question
    ... Suppose that over time, I evolve the product's design, perhaps to the point that it is no longer recognizably derivative. ... That is, what contractual terms are generally used to protect the other guy from me just tweaking his design, calling it my own, and selling it without paying royalties; and, on the other hand, to protect me from him claiming that any vaguely-related product I ever subsequently design is really his and I owe royalties on it? ... people give of their time and experience in the furtherance of the spread electronic design knowledge to those with a genuine interest in electronics. ...
    (sci.electronics.design)
  • Stonemasons and Coders
    ... >>I would disagree with that opinion. ... It is one thing for a journeyman stonemanson to ... > You are confusing ancient stonemasons with modern programmers and all ... adjust the design of the structure to compensate ...
    (comp.programming)
  • Re: WISDOM of Crowds (Iden?ify -Uare the missing data)
    ... "You don't do good software design by committee." ... Aggregation. ... designing something would be for the group's opinion to be aggregated ... Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations ...
    (sci.logic)