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This may become a major problem when the number of nanotechnology patent
applications begins to flourish.
A second problem specific to nanotechnology related inventions is that many
inventions may simply be smaller versions of something that already exists. This is
an interesting topic open to debate. Some may argue that as such, some
nanotechnologies may not necessarily constitute an invention, because they may
be an obvious and smaller version of what is already known at a bigger scale. In
these cases, it may be useful to consider whether the process used to create the
nanoscale object is worth patenting. The nanoscale version could be substantially
different in terms of fabrication, since physics operates very differently at the
molecular level of fabrication. Such differences could fulfill the requirement for
nonobviousness of an invention.
Additionally, when deciding to patent an invention, one must consider the
fact that the protection offered by a patent issued in the United States would be
limited, of course, to the United States. While an inventor would ideally like to
protect his invention internationally, that is not necessarily the best option. For
one thing, obtaining patents is a costly matter, with many fees involved, such as
attorney fees, translation fees for foreign countries, and more. An inventor should
weigh such costs against what he could earn with the patents. In some case, it may
be best to use the Patent Cooperation Treaty, or PCT. Additional information
about such issues may be obtained by contacting the United State Patent and
Trademark Office at www.uspto.gov, or your local intellectural property law
firms.
20.4. SOCIO-ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF NANOCOMPUTING
When it comes to exploiting the economic and social potentials of nanocomput-
ing, scientists and engineers can have high expectations. For one, the present era
of nanocomputing offers extraordinary opportunities for inventors. Some
of the early inventions in this field could become embedded in future technologies,
which will then vastly increase the value of such inventions. Furthermore,
since nanocomputing is multidisciplinary in nature, a discovery in this area
could have several applications in various fields, and thereby making nanocom-
puting inventions even more valuable. For example, think of a miniature
robot that works as a surgeon in the human brain or body, correcting problems
that are ailing its host. Such an advanced nanorobot is one of the promises
that nanocomputing can make to the field of neuroscience, and to the world
as well.
In recent years, nanotechnology has given the world new ideas for a brighter
future and its subsequent emergence is increasingly difficult to ignore. The raw
potential in this new subject has even drawn the attention of many policy makers
and social scientists. In addition to changing medical fields such as neuroscience,
the presence of nanotechnology will leave shockwaves in the social and economic
realms.
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