Ed,

Ok, wasting bandwidth here...

Thank you for your post. I agree totally here that we must assert our rights in order to not lose them.

Best,

DD

>>>>I really thought that you had found a better way to express yourself, but yet again I was wrong.
>>
>>And I assume you classify your response to Ed as what???? Uplifting!
>>
>>>>I saw not a shred of "vehemence"
>>
>
>Tom, thanks for stepping in here. The intent of my response to JVP was not to detract from Mr. Nelson's statement of his world view, but was to applaud JVP for asserting his rights as an author. Most people are unaware that in order to protect one's rights to IP demands active and equivalent assertion of those rights; failure to do so may result in later problems attempting to assert those rights.
>
>I was unaware that making a statement of fact - that IP issues, especially in the international arena, are complex, and are best left to attorneys who've acquired a strong understanding of the applicable international agrements. I certainly didn't represent myself as such. I guess Jim felt denigrated when I stated that attorneys specializing in international IP issues charge a great deal for their services, and that the opinions of people lacking that understanding are not worth that level of compensation for their opinions, and listening to them often will not only confuse the issues for someone trying to understand the issues for themselves, but can also result in the inability to defends one's IP rights in the future.
>
>I think that the investment of time and money for the services of a well-informed IP attorney has been tremendously beneficial to me; when I first started investigating how to protect my IP, the time and money spent being educated in the differences between various forms of copyright, patent and trade secret agreements, the manner in which compensation can be structured, and the necessary steps to properly document and assert ownership of IP was money well spent. Knowing when copyright or patent protections are most appropriate, and equally importantly, knowing when non-disclosure of concept or invention via patent or copyright offers better protection, was worth the investment I made in acquiring competent representation. I no more try filing IP declarations on my own than my attorney attempts setting up his own office netowrk; while we're both intelligent individuals, we're also smart enough to know that relying on a professional for the work results in a better end result.
>
>To reiterate, you're right on the money here; I wasn't insulting Jim, I was applauding JVP's decision to rely on the advice of a professional. Thanks for reading and comprehending the message content; it's good to know that somone else understood the message.