> I think Stevan Harnad is seriously underestimating the > importance of "prior discovery", which may be established > by the date attached to the placement of an unrefereed > article on an open electronic repository. >
It seems to me this raises questions not only about dates of placement for journal articles but also for patents. The number of academic scientists (and universities) who deal in patents is growing all the time. They, and patent office examiners as well, will have to be well aware of the preprint literature. I foresee business for my patent lawyer son. Kitty Porter Kitty Porter Stevenson Science & Engineering Library 419 21st Avenue South Vanderbilt University Nashville TN 37240 Phone: 615-343-7106 Fax: 615-343-7249 Email: por...@library.vanderbilt.edu
