Well that IS interesting. I did not notice that.
I think most of us have a perfunctory understanding that a "pending" application is only that. It DOES afford the applicant a point in time for staking a claim in a concept or invention.
If this is no typo and SP has a patent which has been granted , it is no longer merely pending. All he would have to do id cough up a filing fee and then receive his number for his patent.
Now, this does not mean someone cannot attempt to patent around him, that is, come up with something close, but different enough in the eyes of the patent examiner to justify granting a patent. This can happen. Also, it only covers the US.
You or I could take hs patent to China, put our name on it, and begin the process, but this is very, very expensive and even more time-consuming than in the US.
Going far afield here.
If Tivus now holds patented technology, he can license this all over the Federation. He cab franchise it. It also explains why bigger guns are more interested. With the protection of the US patent in hand, it is less likely to get stolen by someone else and, therefore, more likely to survive in a competitive business climate.
I may just open up a Tivus franchise in the Romulan Empire. It is massive and I have friends there.
Spock out.
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