Description

This article is from the Scientific Skepticism FAQ, by Paul Johnson Paul@treetop.demon.co.uk with numerous contributions by others.

8.5: But its been patented! (Strange Machines: Free Energy and Anti-Gravity)

So what? Patent offices will not grant a patent on a "perpetual
motion machine" (some just require a working model) but if you call it
a "vacuum energy device" and claim that it gets its energy from some
previously unknown source then you can probably get a patent. Patent
offices are there to judge whether something has been invented before,
not whether it will work. The ban on devices labelled "perpetual
motion" is a special case because the patent officers dislike being
cited as some sort of approval by con-men.

Continue to:

• prev: 8.4: Magnets can levitate. Where is the energy from?
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• next: 8.6: The oil companies are conspiring to suppress my invention (Strange Machines: Free Energy and Anti-Gravity)