# 10th Patent **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 21, 2010, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-patent/533186 "2010-03-21T01:12:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-patent/533186/1 "2010-03-21T01:12:11Z")
I just got my 10th patent last week. I wrote it up about a week before being fired from my job a few years ago. The ninth was one I wrote up when I was back on a contract at the same company. They are all assigned to someone else, none of them are really exciting, I’ll never make money off them, but it’s still cool to have 10 patents that my descendants can find on-line some day. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-patent/533186/2 "2010-03-21T01:27:24Z")
Congratulations! My father-in-law has about the same number of patents, all for industry. But very cool for us and we’ve got them noted in our genealogy. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-patent/533186/3 "2010-03-21T03:41:33Z")
Congratulations, **Dan**! That’s quite an accomplishment. You have ten times as many as I do 😉 What field are they in? ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-patent/533186/4 "2010-03-21T05:37:10Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:3, topic:533186”] Congratulations, **Dan**! That’s quite an accomplishment. You have ten times as many as I do 😉 What field are they in? [/QUOTE] Computer stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-patent/533186/5 "2010-03-21T12:10:26Z")
Congratulations. You beat me, too. How’d they wind up assigned to somebody else if you didn’t make any money off of them? Did you just donate the rights? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-patent/533186/6 "2010-03-21T12:26:16Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > Computer stuff. You WILL here from my lawyers soon. I patented “computer stuff” in 1997 and yet nobody seems to give me wide enough berth to make any money off of it. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-patent/533186/7 "2010-03-21T13:12:01Z")
Congratulations! I have none, but don’t even try to pursue them. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-patent/533186/8 "2010-03-21T14:18:04Z")
Very cool - although I have not pursued a patent, it is one of those things I look to as a sign of real accomplishment, like being part of starting or growing a company, or getting a book published or something… Congratulations. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-patent/533186/9 "2010-03-21T17:47:39Z")
At ten, don’t you get some patent leather shoes? ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-patent/533186/10 "2010-03-21T17:57:09Z")
You have 10 computer patents? wooooo. Big deal. Anyone can get two patents. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-patent/533186/11 "2010-03-21T18:04:56Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > You have 10 computer patents? wooooo. Big deal. Anyone can get two patents. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Goliath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rex\_Goliath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Goliath)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-patent/533186/12 "2010-03-21T18:06:49Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > How’d they wind up assigned to somebody else if you didn’t make any money off of them? Did you just donate the rights? IIRC, it’s standard practice that anything you develop on the company’s time or with the company’s resources is their property. Some places will split a percentage of revenue with the inventor, but most do not. For a fascinating case study, check out the story of [Shuji Nakamura](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuji_Nakamura), the Japanese academic who invented the blue laser used in Blu-Ray recording. Because he developed it on company time and with company resources, the company felt no additional compensation was due. He eventually sued, and was awarded $180 million, which was later reduced to $9 million. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-patent/533186/13 "2010-03-21T19:46:59Z")
Congratulations. I only have three. ETA: And a fourth in the pipeline, though with the current backlog at the patent office, I don’t expect it to be granted for a few more years. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-patent/533186/14 "2010-03-21T20:16:41Z")
> [@Rex\_Goliath](#): > > IIRC, it’s standard practice that anything you develop on the company’s time or with the company’s resources is their property. Some places will split a percentage of revenue with the inventor, but most do not. For a fascinating case study, check out the story of [Shuji Nakamura](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuji_Nakamura), the Japanese academic who invented the blue laser used in Blu-Ray recording. Because he developed it on company time and with company resources, the company felt no additional compensation was due. He eventually sued, and was awarded $180 million, which was later reduced to $9 million. It’s standard practice if they employ you and pay you. All my patents are assigned to the company that paid me to invent things. I wondered how it happened that Dan Blather was never going to get paid anything. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-patent/533186/15 "2010-03-21T21:16:27Z")
True. You can find that in your company policy manual somewhere, if you ask. It’s common to give the employee a bonus of some kind, though. Cheaper than pissing him off and losing him. The inventors’ names are still on the patent, though. Inventions made under government contracts are assigned to the government, btw. Only 6 here - I’d better start being smarter. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-patent/533186/16 "2010-03-21T22:50:06Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > True. You can find that in your company policy manual somewhere, if you ask. It’s common to give the employee a bonus of some kind, though. Cheaper than pissing him off and losing him. The inventors’ names are still on the patent, though. Inventions made under government contracts are assigned to the government, btw. > > Only 6 here - I’d better start being smarter. Indeed. Part of my job is inventing new things that will benefit the company, so obviously all of my patents are assigned to the company. They do reward me by giving me bonuses, praise in my personnel file, etc. There’s a reason I’m a survivor of dozens of rounds of layoffs over the last ten years. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-patent/533186/17 "2010-03-22T01:32:58Z")
Depending on where the inventor lives, there can be a legal requirement to pay him more than just salary. In Germany, even though they may be paid to work on a patentable invention, inventors get further compensation if the patent is profitable - a certain small percentage of the gross or of the profits, I think. Not so in the USA, tho… ---
**Author:** ![figure9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@figure9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/figure9)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-patent/533186/18 "2010-03-22T11:58:03Z")
Just chiming in to say COOL! ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-patent/533186/19 "2010-03-22T21:48:01Z")
Are they software patents or _real_ patents? That will determine how impressed I am. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-patent/533186/20 "2010-03-23T02:32:15Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > It’s standard practice if they employ you and pay you. All my patents are assigned to the company that paid me to invent things. I wondered how it happened that Dan Blather was never going to get paid anything. Sorry, I was not clear. I was paid well for my work and got an additional small stipend for each patent. I just meant that I will not seen any royalties since they are “assigned” to the company. And no, most are not “real” patents, just software patents. 🙂