I am boycotting Antec forever for this...

[RaynorWolfcastle]

Originally posted by: AIWGuru

Originally posted by: AyashiKaibutsu
They waited till many companies estabilished themselves on the market.... courts really frown on that.

No, they didn't. They applied for the patent a long, long time ago. Their packaging has displayed the legally required "patent pending" mark. The patent was only recently approved but is retroactive to the date it was applied for.
Antec waited for nothing.

I agree, from what I've read Antec went about it the right way and had even sent letters previously to tell other manufacturers that they had a patent pending. In any event, adding LEDs to a fan is a complete and utter waste of money that is analogous to adding clear taillights on a civic.

I don't realy care who wins this dispute since I will never be in the market for an LED fan.

 

[Twista]

Originally posted by: Soulkeeper
who cares

 

[EeyoreX]

I am boycotting Antec forever for this...

Okay. Have fun.

\Dan

 

[Corporate Thug]

go ahead an boycott antec if you like, their cases have been declining in terms of qulaity over the years and tbeir PSU are waaaaaaaay overpriced compared to fortron

 

[Lonyo]

Originally posted by: Tabb
I havent heard anything of this at all. Until we have some actual confirmation from Antec or some-who-was-sued by them. I'll dissmiss this as complete bs.

It's not BS, it's all over the place.

 

[FluxCap]

Originally posted by: shady06
go ahead an boycott antec if you like, their cases have been declining in terms of qulaity over the years and tbeir PSU are waaaaaaaay overpriced compared to fortron

You are right Shady, their stuff is kinda going downhill. I should have stopped using them already for other reasons. 🙂

 

[KristopherKubicki]

Well, oddly enough Antec doesnt make anything. The fact that they patent something that an OEM makes (and makes for other people as well) is a little odd. It seems like the only reason they did this was to claim royalties on other peoples manufacturing.

Perhaps they will just shoot themselves in the foot and no one will use LED fans? Thats a business model!

Kristopher

 

[Gurck]

Originally posted by: JustAnAverageGuy

Originally posted by: Gurck
Ordinarily I'd frown on something like this, but they do have a point, and their products are extremely well-made and competitively priced, in my experience. I don't think I'll have any qualms about continuing to buy their stuff. I haven't bought anything made by Sony in over a decade, and never will, however 😉

If antec was a company you hated, would you still support it?

Antec being popular seems to draw sympathy.

I'd wager Sony is a much more popular & recognized a name than Antec. Many people who don't build/modify their own computers won't have even heard of Antec, while Sony is a recognized brand for probably the vast majority of the population. I'm merely speaking based on my experiences with both companies - superb with Antec, terrible with Sony - in their business practices, customer support, prices, and product quality. YMMV.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: shady06
go ahead an boycott antec if you like, their cases have been declining in terms of qulaity over the years and tbeir PSU are waaaaaaaay overpriced compared to fortron

Do Fortron PSUs come with a three-year warranty?

 

[Schadenfroh]

good thing i bought my sonata before the AT boycott began

 

[lokni]

Haha, Antec applied for the patent in 2003. These things were seen in computers WAY before then. To take a quote from the link provided earlier

"The prior art is defined by Title 35, United States Code, Section 102, which states: "A person shall be entitled to a patent unless...." This language is followed by a series of definitions, the most important of which are summarized in the following. First, a person is not entitled to a patent if the invention was "known or used by others in this country, or was patented or described in a printed publication in this or a foreign country" before the date of invention by the applicant for the patent. If, for example, an invention is known or is being used by someone in the United States, another person who makes the same invention at a later date may not obtain a patent. Prior knowledge or use in a different country, however, is not a bar to a patent application in the United States. In contrast, a prior patent or a printed publication anywhere in the world will bar an applicant for patent in the United States if it appeared before the date of the applicant's invention.: "

So, the link by Bit-Tech published in 2002 would constitute prior-art. Beyond the bit-tech page, I would not be surprised if many other pages could be found on the internet and elsewhere that describes fans with any type of "light emitting device" in it that were published before April 1, 2003. Someone mentioned that the Bit-Tech website describes a "home made mod, not a product" something does not have to be marketable or available for sale to be considered prior-art or even for a patent. It just has to be something new.

The other thing I noticed is you guys are talking about how this patent is a VALID patent like its a holy thing that is set in stone. No no no! The US Patent Office is known, particularly in the computer and engineering fields, for granting Patents on stuff that CLEARLY has prior-art available through even a simple Google search. This happens because the USPO is notoriously understaffed and underbudgeted. If you would like to read some of them, head on over to slashdot.com and read some of the stories about approved patents there. It boggles the mind the things that companies file patents on, even though it might have been in use for YEARS.

 

[VTEC01EX]

LED fans are ghey anyway. What's next, altezza taillights as a case mod? Let Antec have their fun with LED fans. The money they generate from idiots buying them might result in more R&D money for other more worthwhile components.

 

[dnuggett]

Originally posted by: KristopherKubicki
Well, oddly enough Antec doesnt make anything. The fact that they patent something that an OEM makes (and makes for other people as well) is a little odd. It seems like the only reason they did this was to claim royalties on other peoples manufacturing.

Perhaps they will just shoot themselves in the foot and no one will use LED fans? Thats a business model!

Kristopher

That fact is not odd at all. Who do you think "makes" the XBOX? Heard of Flextronics? They make thousands of products for hundereds of companies, none of which are their intellectual property. And that is an example of one company. Dell doesn't "make" their laptops. Does that mean Microsoft or Dell getting a patent to their inventions because they don't "make" it is odd? That is the way the majority of products are manufactured today especially in the computer industry, and be no means should a inventor (company or person) give up rights because they don't make their invention. Nor should anyone find that odd. You really missed the boat on that one Ed.

 

[NOX]

Originally posted by: johnjkr1
"I am boycotting Antec forever for this..."

and I will keep buying their products for a long long time because of their fantastic support. They sent me a whole new front bezel for my case, free of charge, when I broke one of the plastic hinges.

Same here, however it was my I/O panel which I poked out to many holes and Antec sent me a new one for free.

I don't blame Antec for wanting to protect their patents. I would do the same.

Also, many companies don't make their own products, but they do come up with the ideas for them. By right the patents/Intellectual Properties are issued to them. And not the companie who makes it for them. That would be odd.

 

[txxxx]

Flashing LED lights is a tiny market - what's the problem?

 

[Maximilian]

Originally posted by: JustAnAverageGuy

Originally posted by: Gurck
Ordinarily I'd frown on something like this, but they do have a point, and their products are extremely well-made and competitively priced, in my experience. I don't think I'll have any qualms about continuing to buy their stuff. I haven't bought anything made by Sony in over a decade, and never will, however 😉

If antec was a company you hated, would you still support it?

Antec being popular seems to draw sympathy.

If this was intel in the same sort of situation they would be getting bashed right now 😛

 

[Stunt]

ya...honestly...rambus patents come to mind on this!
if it's just a led fan nobody cares, if it is an industry standard for memory in which causes prices to rise a bit, ppl freak.
such a double standard.

 

[lucky9]

Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle

Originally posted by: AIWGuru

Originally posted by: AyashiKaibutsu
They waited till many companies estabilished themselves on the market.... courts really frown on that.

No, they didn't. They applied for the patent a long, long time ago. Their packaging has displayed the legally required "patent pending" mark. The patent was only recently approved but is retroactive to the date it was applied for.
Antec waited for nothing.

I agree, from what I've read Antec went about it the right way and had even sent letters previously to tell other manufacturers that they had a patent pending. In any event, adding LEDs to a fan is a complete and utter waste of money that is analogous to adding clear taillights on a civic.

I don't realy care who wins this dispute since I will never be in the market for an LED fan.

Ahh! The true bottom line!:wine:

 

[lucky9]

Originally posted by: VTEC01EX
LED fans are ghey anyway. What's next, altezza taillights as a case mod? Let Antec have their fun with LED fans. The money they generate from idiots buying them might result in more R&D money for other more worthwhile components.

Yeah! Like fins!

 

[Zepper]

IMO, that idea shouldn't have been patentable unless the LEDs were integral to the operation of the device. Ornamenting pre-existing devices should never be patentable.
.bh.

 

[LordMorpheus]

Originally posted by: Acanthus
So in essence Antec developed the LED fan and someone else came up with a very similar design which infringes on Antecs patent.

While that sucks, Antec is certainly not in the wrong there.

It says they got the patient in 2004.

I bought some LED fans way back in 2002.

I think thats the issue here, not that they are protecting their pateint, but that they got a patient for something that has been on the market for a while.

I really don't care. THe only reason I have LED fans is that they were cheaper than non-LED fans, however that works.

 

[AIWGuru]

Originally posted by: LordMorpheus

Originally posted by: Acanthus
So in essence Antec developed the LED fan and someone else came up with a very similar design which infringes on Antecs patent.

While that sucks, Antec is certainly not in the wrong there.

It says they got the patient in 2004.

I bought some LED fans way back in 2002.

I think thats the issue here, not that they are protecting their pateint, but that they got a patient for something that has been on the market for a while.

I really don't care. THe only reason I have LED fans is that they were cheaper than non-LED fans, however that works.

I guess you didn't bother reading the thread before posting.
It doesn't matter when the patent was approved, only when it was applied for.
Antec believes that they were the first to bring this product to market in the U.S.
They applied for a patent which was approved two years later. (now)
We're not patent lawyers but the patent lawyers who looked at antec's patent application didn't find prior art and granted the patent. Thus, antec holds the patent on this design. They may choose to licence it to other manufacturers.
Until this patent is revoked, as it may never be, antec holds it.
They're operating within the law and are doing absolutely nothing wrong.

 

[Slickone]

If this was a company you didn't like, would you feel the same way?

I'd bet they'll lose more money from losing pissed off customers than they'll gain by selling more LED fans after the other brands are stopped.

 

[apropos]

Originally posted by: lucky9
If it's a valid patent I have to support their right to it. To do otherwise is not productive or right from a moral point.

I can't believe that the use of a light in a fan is, in itself, something that can't be gotten around without infringing their patent. The way it's done is important. The light itself is probably not patentable. Where you put a light is the central issue that is not patentable.

exactly... you can't patent an idea. You can patent a design though. I have a feeling that Antec's claim that they basically own the LED on a fan concept will not hold up in a court of law.

I'm all for IP protection.. I do however also believe that I understand the law well enough to know that this won't last long.

For the record btw.. I'm not even a fan of fans with LED's.. hmm.... a "fan of fans".... interesting. 😉

 

[KristopherKubicki]

dnuggett: Yes i see your point, but the OEM was making the fans before the patent. If Flextronics made xboxes to retail before microsoft applied for the patents whose side would you take?

Kristopher