> wondering what if anything happens to the patents that were awarded to the ex-CEO that I believe were assigned to DDEV?<
Well, I don't KNOW, but... unless the company announces otherwise, there's no reason to think he's taken his patents with him. In particular:
- the patents leaving would be a dramatic and important change, worthy of 8k treatment at least. There's no reason to think it's happened.
- the founder's value as an inventor does not, just as an general rule, mean he made a good manager, so maybe his ouster is for the best. And it means the teleport deal is much more likely to close now. Still, the founder must be irked to have arranged a buyout of a teleport, and then to have the teleport's management (as a condition of the deal?) kick him out.
- there's no reason to think, yet, that the founder has ceased being a major shareholder. This is good to the extent he as a continued interest in seeing the company prosper, and bad to the extent he may compete with DDEV -- although his ability to compete may (among other things) be limited by (1) his exit agreement with the company, if any, (2) his own patents which, to the extent owned by DDEV, can be cited against him.
- if they truly were assigned to DDEV, then DDEV own's the patents. As you probably know, patents (unlike every other area of intellectual property):
--- require the cooperation of the actual individual who is the "inventor" -- but once issued and assigned to the company, they belong to the company.
--- If DDEV's private placement investors did their job, at least, they probably made sure the assignment of the patent didn't have any tricky conditions that would result in a reversion of the patent to the inventor.
just my 2 cents, as we say online when we're just speculatin'.
Whether the teleport deal will consumate, and its management will be able to move FAST (as I think is needed) to take advantage of the DDEV technology, only time will tell.
Until then, maybe FBCE or PFNT or one of your other suggestions will fund my purchase of a Tuxedo and a cigar and a pair of roller skates (sold as a unit).
- Charles |
