Patently Not the Case?

[BlueHorseshoe 10]

I was recently made aware that Mark Helweg has received a patent for ValueCharts.

 

Is there anyone with a legal background who would care to explain how this is possible?

 

I consulted a corporate lawyer with this question a few years back (not about ValueCharts specifically, you understand), and was told that it was not possible to patent a mathematical formula, otherwise it would be possible to patent something like the theory of relativity and restrict its use by others.

 

In fact, didn't George Lane try and patent the Stochastic oscillator and fail?

 

BlueHorseshoe

[Patuca 13]

I was recently made aware that Mark Helweg has received a patent for ValueCharts.

 

Is there anyone with a legal background who would care to explain how this is possible?

 

I consulted a corporate lawyer with this question a few years back (not about ValueCharts specifically, you understand), and was told that it was not possible to patent a mathematical formula, otherwise it would be possible to patent something like the theory of relativity and restrict its use by others.

 

In fact, didn't George Lane try and patent the Stochastic oscillator and fail?

 

BlueHorseshoe

i don't think you can patent a mathematical formula but you can a visual representation (such as a chart..etc.) that may have that formula in its' number crunching. The visual representation would be a creation.

[Adrian 10]

And then how would one define a formula that was similar but not identical? Just a complete can of worms. I am not aware of the ability to patent a mathematical formula either. Value charts are in the public domain anyway, and have been for years. It's never been used much because well, their isn't a lot of 'value' in 'value charts' LOL.

[BlueHorseshoe 10]

i don't think you can patent a mathematical formula but you can a visual representation (such as a chart..etc.) that may have that formula in its' number crunching. The visual representation would be a creation.

 

A bit like patenting a video game rather than the underlying code that generates the graphics?

 

But then the visual representation of a value chart is just OHLC bars. Maybe I should try and dig a copy of Helweg's patent application out from the web . . .

 

Thanks.

 

BlueHorseshoe

[BlueHorseshoe 10]

So this patent does exist:

 

United States Patent: 8195553

 

The patent would seem to be for any indicator that generates a volatility derived normalisation of price. Slightly hard to believe.

 

So, what does this mean? Does it mean that Mr Helweg could try and stop someone else selling an indicator which normalizes price within, say, Keltner Channels?

 

I suspect if Gosu were still around at TL he'd have known the answer!

 

BlueHorseshoe

[DbPhoenix 42]

Since the only people interested in this will be the suckers, does it really matter? (Ooo, look at all the pretty colors...)

 

Db

[BlueHorseshoe 10]

Since the only people interested in this will be the suckers, does it really matter? (Ooo, look at all the pretty colors...)

 

Db

 

Hi DB,

 

Try and abstract from the specific to the general . . .

 

I'm not interested in ValueCharts - I am interested in the fact that someone has been able to earmark such a general and public concept as their own intellectual property. You have a golden 'C' next to your name - I'm sure you can figure out the implications.

 

Anyway, if you're not interested, why bother posting on the thread?

 

BlueHorseshoe

[SIUYA 11]

I dont know about patents, but clearly how something is represented can make a big difference.....

have you followed the samsung v apple court cases lately?

Plus there was the TT static DOM that had a lot of patent issues in recent years.