On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 16:23:20 GMT, Jonathan Kirwan
wrote:

On Sat, 17 Mar 2007 23:16:20 -0500, John Fields
wrote:

snip
My point, though, was that if the OP copies the patent for practical
use he'll be infringing the patent unless he gets permission to copy
it from the owner of the patent.

I've been learning from reading these points. But I believe you are
taking a narrow view, here. In Europe, I gather any implementation of
a patent that's just for personal use is completely exempt. So this
may be a US-only thing.

---
If by a "narrow view" you mean according to US law, then you're
right. I have no idea how infringement is defined in Europe, but my
personal view is that if it's not my invention and I copy it in
order to keep from having to pay the inventor his just due then I
have stolen from him what he deserved to earn and am nothing more
than a common thief.


--
JF