[Clipart] google patents

[John Olsen]

> From: Jon Phillips <jon at rejon.org>
> Subject: [Clipart] patent search
> To: Open Clip Art Library list <clipart at lists.freedesktop.org>
> Message-ID: <1166323807.2064.39.camel at localhost.localdomain>
> Content-Type: text/plain
>
> Heya, if you all didn't see this, http://www.google.com/patents

Thanks for the reminder.  I just was told about this by a friend

>
> Did we ever decide if we could use patent search images as material
> needing conversion to vectors?

I've been mining U.S.  patents for a few weeks now.  I think we came  
to the conclusion that the illustrations supporting a patent are PD.   
Haven't seen any argument against this.  In fact the Google patent  
serach FAQ begins with:

Q. Where does this patent data come from?
A. All patents available through Google Patent Search come from the  
United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Patents issued in  
the United States are public domain government information, and  
images of the entire database of U.S. patents are readily available  
online via the USPTO website.

John Olsen



>
> Jon