• Aatube@kbin.melroy.orgM
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      3 days ago

      The energy part of this one is different:

      Because the system can quickly react to subtle changes in sunlight, it maximizes the utility of solar energy, producing large quantities of clean water despite variations in sunlight throughout the day. In contrast to other solar-driven desalination designs, the MIT system requires no extra batteries for energy storage, nor a supplemental power supply, such as from the grid.

      • dustyData@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        If you want everyone to have it, you patent, then charge nothing to license it.

        If you don’t patent it, then a corporate patent troll will come in, patent it, charge an inordinate amount for the license, then bury you in paperwork with a lawsuit so you can’t fight back. Effectively killing the tech.

        • jagged_circle@feddit.nl
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          3 days ago

          No, that’s not how open source hardware works.

          You copyright it (free) and publish online with a copyleft license.

          You would absolutely win in court without the patent. Just point to the publishing date on GitHub. Then you sue them for filing a blatantly fraudulent patent.

          Source: I work in open hardware

          • MangoCats@feddit.it
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            2 days ago

            How many suits for these kinds of blatantly fraudulent patents have actually been won? And lost?

        • Natanael@infosec.pub
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          3 days ago

          Patents does not have defensive uses, only offensive.

          You beat patent trolls by demonstrating you published first.

          • outhouseperilous@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            2 days ago

            no defensive uses

            Says someone whos never blocked an assassin’s ninja star with a binder full of patent paperwork. There was also some incorporation stuff in there, but not enough to have worked with that alone.

            Clearly you lack real experience in the field.

            • Natanael@infosec.pub
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              3 days ago

              Only against practicing entities, and if you have enough cash reserves to deter them with legal expenses.

      • Pup Biru@aussie.zone
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        3 days ago

        sometimes you want some sort of control, or trade… like, (as much as like everyone else hates them this is the best example i can think of) tesla holds a bunch of patents and says people are free to use them, but if you do you can’t sue them for patent infringement: they still have some control