Portable Stereo Creator Gets His Due

eadint wrote to mention an International Tribune article covering Sony's settlement with the inventor of the portable stereo. From the article: "Pavel invented the device known today as the Walkman. But it took more than 25 years of battling the Sony Corporation and others in courts and patent offices around the world before he finally won the right to say it: Andreas Pavel invented the portable personal stereo player."

The hypocrisy of Slashdot

[msormune]

So why is this not an obvious invention? Because it is a single guy against a big company, suddenly it's ok to patent something pretty obvious and try to start cashing in on it? This of course means that the manufacturers will increase the prices in order to cover the extra licensing costs. If someone working for Microsoft had patented this 25 years ago and now won the patent, most people on Slashdot would be huffing and puffing with their faces red. But when it's a single guy against the "new evil empire" Sony, let's all cheer for him. Never mind that it's the consumer that gets screwed in the end.

Re:The hypocrisy of Slashdot

[mumblestheclown]

Sigh.

Here's a simple example: compare the number of new pharmaceuticals developed in countries with strong IP regulations compared to those that don't.

Now, expand your 'test' into virtually any avenue of economic endeavour that you can think of: aviation, automotive, medical devices, consumer electronics, manufacturing process, chemical production, etc etc and you will see that in essentially every case, the systems with stronger IPR have historically done better in providing a better quality and quantity of items for their citizens. EVERY TIME.

Just because you have no actual knowledge of the subject and therefore subject me to the silliest of challenges does not make you right.

Re:The hypocrisy of Slashdot

[Tony Hoyle]

There have been *many* cases of patents retarding innovation.

My favourite is the steam engine - development was stalled for 20 years because of an outstanding patent on high pressure steam valves.

And that was when patents didn't have stupid lifetimes.... If it were like today I suspect we'd still be waiting for someone to invent it.

Re:Sad story

[tomjen]

Well the inventer of FM radio fourth with the RCA (his employer) over his patent rights and afther they used every dirty trick in the book, they declared his patents invalied. They he fourth with them in court for six year before he was broke. They offered him a settlement that did not even pay for the court fees.
Then absolutely defeated he jumped out of a window.

I think this inventer was more lucky, he got the money at least.

Re:Not sure I understand

[tatonca]

FTFA - "took his invention to one audio company after another - Grundig, *Phillips*, Yamaha and ITT among them..."

You'd have to analyze the text a little more to get the timeline, but doesn't it seem odd to you, that a guy presenting a portable music player swings by the Philips office - they laugh at him and tell him it's crazy - and then said company comes out with similar in the same time frame? Ever wonder why hollywood seems to be constantly putting out similarly themed movies at the same time all the time?

Same reason - a guy is wandering around pitching a script idea - the studio laughs at him and tells him he's crazy - they hire their own writers to capitilize on the idea without having to pay out royalties...

Of course, this is all mere speculation - but then how come Philips didn't sue Sony? Maybe cause they'd stolen the idea themselves?

Re:The hypocrisy of Slashdot

[SillyNickName4me]

There is a long list of such examples, the oldest that I know about dates back to the 1600s and regards some required technology for a wind driven sawing machine (sawmill), its most likely not the oldest documented case however.

Another example is the patent battle surrounding the invention of the traditional TV system and camera technology. While there were definitely genuine patents involved here, it goes to show that a small inventor has little power over big companies even when winning a patent dispute after a few decades and how this can completely stall the development of some invention and anything directly related to it.

Lars, take a look at Sonys 1969 Tape recorder

[NigelJohnstone]

"But all inventions have always been obvious - once somebody finally came up with them."

You might like to look at what he invented before you say that:

http://www.nigeljohnstone.com/archives/2005/12/coo l_inventions.html [nigeljohnstone.com]