Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Well according to the show they had a patent on thier system. It could have been patent pending, but either way it is plain wrong them even thinking the could patent that monstrocity.

I hate those, patent something, because I can sort of things... but when they have proper grounds and stand to lose a lot of mone from cheap chinese ripoff kinda things may deserve recognition.

TimC, Tried looking up the patent and couldn't find it, this is not to say it isn't patented, but you would think it would be easy to find especially since "they invented it"

I am sure that the new inventors said it was patented... I think it mught be patent pending... I must watch it again...

Actually Tim, I had a chat with them about the time the show went to air...

They're not really set up properly as yet... not to the point of either continous production or where they want to go commercially....

Commercially they want to ... wait for it .... offer it as "franchise" operation, computer monitored and input controlled from their base up in "dopetown" NSW.

Will even supply the building, tanks, plumbing, ferris wheel, computers, software etc ... the whole kit and caboddle ... in a kit form...

Usual ongoing cost apply and prices subject to change without notice etc etc.

Prospectus due in about six months or so.

Still if you want a "working" commercial system.. go for it.

Must of been another mob we cut down on (tall poppy syndrome gotta love it)... It wasn't that guy with the polystyrene?

Look, patents are not nescecarrily a bad thing, i can understand (not thru personal experience though) the feeling of spending countless nights and countless money into a thing that no one belived into a design.

But anyway, a patent to my knowledge assings owndership and royalty rights to the owner, it in no way prohibits a backyarder from making an exact copy as long as it is not sold. As far as i know.

From my experience, patents are not bad. They don't keep someone from using your idea.
I was hired by a company working on a concept. We found that someone else had a patent on a similar purposed machine, so we had to make sure that our patent was different enough that it would A) not infringe on their patent and B) be patentable in its own right.
Found out from the attorney that the main purpose of a patent is A) to have proof that you have a unique idea, B) provide proof of having developed it, C) have a way to win a court battle over licensing and/or infringement litigation.

Translation - if someone patents a design, and you copy it exactly they can sue you for the royalties that they would have made from it, but not for court costs. If you sell it, they can sue you for the royalties that they would have made from the sales, and punitive damages for infringement, (including legal fees).
If you design something that is similar to someone else's patent, they won't sue you unless you start making enough money to justify the cost of their legal fees, and if you developed it independently, they have a much harder time making their case in court.

As to patents on medicines, mathematical formulae, etc. Medicines take millions and/or billions of $ to research, test, and get approved. The patents are needed for the companys to recover their R&D costs, (unless you don't want new medicines to be discovered). I have no problem with someone trying to get some remuneration for their time (often many years) and cost of research.
I do have a problem with the way in which phareceutical companies determine the efficacy of drugs - how long you stay on them. If they had a pill that would cure a disease, and another one that would make you able to live with the disease for another 2-3 decades, they would give you the second.
That is the thing that bothers me.

Or making a cure for the bird flu and only one company is able to make it... thus the demand was so high and the cost was astranomical.

Actually, come to think of it aren't we all 'spose to be dead from Bird Flu by now...

or was that SARS... or Anthrax.... or Saddams WMD's ???

Actually, the "bird flue" (a misnomer, since all influenza is from poultry), is a cyclically morphing virus that about three times per century a particularly virulent form comes that is able to wipe out a significant portion of population. My sister has been studying this and working with the Red Cross in her area on disaster plans. There are 2-3 forms that are particularly vicious. The question comes on when will they become air transmissable. At that point, these particular strains will hopefully be less lethal than they are now (70% lethality).

As of yet. there are a few anti-viral medications, but they usually come with their own set of side-effects that in many cases are as bad as the virus. They are only used as a last-ditch effort, since they are expensive to make, short lived (low shelf life), and have side-effects.

Anthrax is sheep-borne, but rather lethal and painful. It is bacterial, rather than viral, so it is easier to combat, but you still have to have a fairly potent antibiotic. The few times it has been released, the antibiotics have been fairly effective against it.

Maybe the reason they call it 'bird flu' is that (as I understand it) it is spread by wild birds. I could be wrong.

Yes, it is spread through birds, both wild and domestic. However, calling it bird flue is redundant, since all influenza originates in birds.
(Kind of like when people refer to LAN Networks.)

So it would be (Bird flew flu)?

yeah.... had a bit of a cold the other week, was talking to a lady friend and quipped that it was probably "bird flu"...

she asked what made me think it was bird flu... I said that you got it from being around old chooks.....

Buggered if I know... she started hitting me and stormed off

I live in Indonesia the biggest hit area with "Bird Flu" Right now 0.0000236% of the people have died from the virus. That is 59 people of our aproxamently 250 Million.

I see a need to watch for a mutation and to be prepared. But to hear the fear mongering going on in the media its just plain silly. A lot of my friends here have stopped buying chicken. Good for me as the price has gone down not good for the farmers though. People have been misinforemd about the current strain of "Bird Flu" thinking they can get it from eating chicken.

Now the Indoensia government is looking at plans to cull all poltury in Indoenisa (and wild birds as well) Great we just solved the problem of bird flu in Indo but have destroyed the eco system and economy to a point where it will never come back all because of a bloody scare campain.

Sorry for the Hijack AA

Good to see some info on these DWC i have been wanting to set some up on my system to show the kids that veggies can even grown in just water!!