19 tone patent

John Starrett wrote:

> I read with amusement and dismay Paul Hahn's reference to the
>patent issued to Yamaha for the use of 19TET on keyboards, guitars, wind
>and brass instruments.

Didn't it say only that they had patented a _keyboard design_ for use with
19-tET, not the temperament itself? I doubt that temperaments are eligible
for patents, though they might conceivably be copyrightable. Either way, it
would be a crazy thing to do - cause more harm than good, IMO.

David J. Finnamore

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> >lot of people don't realize that patent law not only prohibits you from
> >patenting things that have not (sic) been patented before, but things
> >that are known in any way.

(Wild: I must have read that sentence 6 or 7 times and it seem to be
correct.)

Yes, I did indeed intended to say that "patent law not only prohibits you
from patenting the previously patented, but that which is previously known in
any way."