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Falcon Chess: Background and Patent Text Excerpts. With background summary of chess variants.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

Larry Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 14, 2008 08:04 PM UTC:

H.G., you are correct. There is no automatic verification of a patent, unless the applicant is willing to pay for such.

And patents do not retard innovation. Thus modifications and improvements may be pursued. The holder of the previous patent may challenge such, but they will need to prove that such were not significant to warrant a new patent. And often this is avoided by the new patent merely referencing the previous one.

The patent only allows the holder to manufacture a product under the specific quidelines which they have stated. If challenged they have a legal reference to prove their claim. But if the court recognizes a significant prior claim, or that the patent does not represent a significant improvement, the patent may be revoked.

Of course, you really need to talk to a patent attorney to get all the nuances of this system.