Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Yep. Actually a bunch of the things I want to patent I didn't think I could but I was advised to speak to a patent attorney about whether I could or not instead of assuming I couldn't. Some I could some I probably can't.



Maybe you should have? Like you say personal choice. The thing is that people with your mind set often value the free dissemination of information but the people that use that information often don't value your effort in developing, assembling and then disseminating that information.

I am not saying that you were wrong to not seek a patent (I don't know whether you would have been successful or not for a start) but what if you had and then made a small sum on every single one that was installed? In addition to buying yourself some nice toys to what good could you have put that capital?

Innovators need to value the contribution they make because if they don't we won't. We need to reward them with cash that can then inspire and more importantly resource them for further innovations and even more important still inspire others to innovate as well.

The patent system is far from perfect but the suggestions that have been made lately (mostly by big business) to "fix" it are way worse in my opinion.

I know all to well Stuart.. My dad was co inventor of the mallen niche seeder, and it was (hmm I should probably choose my words carefully) "patented" by someone else in the end who had helped them fabricate a couple of the early versions.

I'm pretty happy to have not patented anything to do with aquaponics, I make my money through AP successfully in many ways and I've always wanted AP technologies to be free for DIYers to get more people involved... Purely selfishly of course, the more people that do DIY AP, the more of their friends see it, so you reach a wider audience of people who will then come and buy from me.. A marketing strategy of sorts I guess..

Nothing wrong with that strategy either sort of similar to the lady in that TED talk.

I think it was "the art of asking".

For sure they could have given the technology away in the spirit of sharing but they probably wanted to recoup their research costs, I bet they got through a few pipes and hours before they came up with something that works. I bet I will get through a few as well if I try and replicate it by trial and error.

People are used to getting free stuff from the internet, free advice, free music, free films etc. and they forget that sometimes people want to charge for their services.

They could have sold some ebooks explaining how to make their system, this would have been even cheaper for them. They wouldn''t have to spend anytime drilling, colour coding or posting supplies. Just a $10 eBook with all the instructions on how to do it yourself with items from a local hardware store.

Instead they have provided all the information on how to build their system for free on their website. And the information is good, videos, step by step guides with illustrations and photographs, calculators for the dome struts, cost calculators and a variety of off-the-shelf kits.

For a small price I would be happy to have received all the guides by email along with a licence to make my own dome. I probably won't even be able to buy the hub only kits because of the cost of postage.

I think it sucks to. I'm totally in agreement that if anyone chooses to copy the design and SELL the product, they have a legal right to go after them, but to threaten DIYers making their own sucks. The reality is if they have a good product, at a reasonable price people will buy it - alot of poeple don't have the time or skills to make them themselves.

Yeah but where do you draw the line?

What is a farmer make a whole bunch for themselves?

What if their market is only for peoples backyards or small holdings which lets face it it is. When you say that they should let people use their invention (which is the same as not enforcing their patent) you are saying that people should be able to use their design free of charge.

Also if you don't defend your patent and you later decide to take someone to court over their infringement of your patent they can successfully defend their infringement on the basis that you never attempted to enforce your patent until now.

The only part of their design that is different from the other PVC domes that I've seen is the hub. However I have seen that hub design made out of other materials.

I know where I draw the line... At people threatening backyard DIY people with legal action....

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There it is...

Yep - As Joel also said earlier in the thread- what if someone else comes up with the design independently.

If their design is that easy to build that their market is threatened by DIYers, then the product is weak IMO. They can still defend their patent against commercial exploitation, and that IMO should be the differentiating aspect.

Yeah but remember that you have to at least pretend that you are prepared to defend your patent or you risk it being invalidated.

But remember the Flout? Same issues. Once we had seen the diagram we could all see how simple it was and how easy to copy but then we would be copying there design which is the same as copying any other intellectual property whether it be a book, photograph, music or the like.

When it comes down to it that is stealing.

The flout people don't threaten DIYers on their website with legal action should anyone try and copy their flouts at home in the backyard..

But then again how many people actually use flouts..?

A photograph and/or text can be copied and used and even republished as part of "fair use", so long as you're not trying to profit from it.

Good point

In the same section where the patent owner is saying that they will enforce their patents they also say ...

That puts a different slant on things. Covers them legally and is rather reasonable.

Pity their wording of everything else seems to annoy people.