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Biggest Gamble of my life !


Canada Bob

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Now I know how it must feel running out for the Cup Final after you've won match after match to get there sometimes against the odds, that's how Wednesday felt for me.

I was up and running at 6:30 down for breakfast and then off to the German Division of the EPO {European Patent Office}, HERE IN mUNICH. Now when I say Division {a word that Germans seem to have a liking for}, think Panzer Division, well, I might as well have been facing a Panzer Division.

After a 6.5 hour "interview" {they prefer to call it that now rather than interrogation} but given the choice between being interviewed by the Spanish Inquisition the SS or these guys at the EPO I'd be hard pressed {first Freudian slip there} to chose which one to pick, at least the SS gave you coffee and cigarettes, the only thing on offer at the EPO was a "ein glas vasser" .

Seeing as how there were 3 on the "Tribunal" {as there generally is :P }, I thought it best not to be outgunned so I went in with my Lead Patent Attorney and his Partner, {these guy cost 1,000 Euro each ! per day} anyway I thought it best to go "in convoy strength" you don't want to be facing Germans when yer a man down.

The kick off was at 09:00 we were all say on opposite side of a huge table, say 16ft long and 8ft wide {bit missing in the middle, sort of King Arthur style} each seat with its own microphone and so on {everything said was recorded}, it was just like being at a Senate Inquiry, reminded me of when I was involved in that Fleet thing in Washington >20 years ago.

Anyway it started with some vigour to say the least, my lead guy fired the first volley challenging the validity of some of the comments that the Patent Examiner had made and it went down hill right after that, tempers flared :008: voices were raised :argue: and fingers wagged :018: it was more like being in a Glasgow Pub :D than what I'd have expected at the EPO.

This went on for 2 hours !!! and I'd not even spoken yet :( I was keeping my head down and my powder dry, last thing this situation needed was me to inflame it further, I was sure we wouldn't see the day out as the struggle for dominance went on. It came to the point were we had to adjourn so that "calmer minds might prevail", but as we were leaving the room I asked if I could speak to the "other side" informally, they considered this {can you believe what Germans are like} and then said yes...

I told them that I was bemused by the goings on, I didn't know if this was "standard procedure" or if things were simply getting out of hand, {a first for me, looking to pour oil on troubled waters} but I had too much at stake here to let it descend into a brawl. I told them that by going at each other the way they were doing no harm could come to my Patent Lawyer {he'd still be a Patent Lawyer the next day} nor could any harm come to them as they had "jobs for life" at the EPO. I went on to tell them that in this war that was evolving between the two sides that the only blood that would be shed would be mine :017: that comment seemed to change their countenance.

Anyway, once we reconvened calmer minds did start to prevail and the process of '"Examination of the Patent" finally started to get underway, for another 2 hours, then a break for lunch, don't ask {sauerkraut and sausage mit rogen brot, minus the LowenBrau} mind you, this lot didn't need any ale to fire them up :P

Then into the afternoon, dust settling by now, further progress on the review of the novelty / inventiveness of the shaving cream et-al, and on it went...

All of a sudden after near 6.5 hours or so, the Chairman stops the debate to say...

They have decided to grant ALL the European Patents, 27 of them !!!

Right out of the blue that came, they went on the formally advise us that withing days we will get a letter to confirm their decision, I'll bleedin' frame it when I get it !!!

Went back to the Hotel feeling totally drained mentally and emotionally, as I expect everyone else feels after that contest, remind me not to Invent anything else, once in a lifetime is enough at this game with the EPO, but, I guess the bottom line is, they don't throw Patents around like confetti, they know Patents can be worth a fortune, so they put you through hoops before they grant them these days.

Right now I know how Superman feels when someone slips Kryptonite into his ale, I'll down meself a few steins of LowenBrau tonight to celebrate :D

I had 10 years of work and the best part of $700,000 in Patent costs to date on this "roll of the dice", that's some bet when it near came down to a bar room brawl !!! But, it's weighed in now, so I'm on me way to cash in on the investment, I just wish I was 42 not 62 to give me time to enjoy the money.

Canada Bob.

Edited by Canada Bob
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Thanks for the above, appreciated, if I were younger I#d be tempted to invest in a club, but right now the only investment I?ll be making be making is in Burnley to beat Pompey tomorrow...

Stugglin? with this blasted German kezboard at the moment the z and the y are reversed and I can"t figure out some of the other kezs either FFS but I managed to get a good few quid on Burnlez via Betfair.

As for the weighed in, well Im on me waz back to Lanyarote right now for about 8 weeks there, after that its back to Canada then dazs later to Florida to cash me chips in with a companz over there who want the Patents.

Tell zou what, zou wunt want to be drunk using these damned kezboards, whz the heel are thez now all the bleedin same FFS.

Canada Bob.

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Thanks for the above, appreciated, if I were younger I#d be tempted to invest in a club, but right now the only investment I?ll be making be making is in Burnley to beat Pompey tomorrow...

Stugglin? with this blasted German kezboard at the moment the z and the y are reversed and I can"t figure out some of the other kezs either FFS but I managed to get a good few quid on Burnlez via Betfair.

As for the weighed in, well Im on me waz back to Lanyarote right now for about 8 weeks there, after that its back to Canada then dazs later to Florida to cash me chips in with a companz over there who want the Patents.

Tell zou what, zou wunt want to be drunk using these damned kezboards, whz the heel are thez now all the bleedin same FFS.

Canada Bob.

:026: :blink::lol:

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Was watching a programme on Sky last night about an old boy who had 14 Million invested in Diamond Prospecting in Angola(?) and was trying to convince the government there to extend his lease by 3 years (and increase his investment by 10 Million) to continue his work.

I forget his name but he was either Canadian or had made his money finding Diamonds in Canada (sold his share in a find for a cool half billion).

Anyway...your story reminded me of that as he was basically sitting at a table watching as the legal team got rich from arguing his case and the government got rich by upping the cost of the lease for the land and their was little he seemed able to do apart from watch. I'm sure he had his mind on the bigger picture, but had it been me I could just picture myself there throwing a large note in the air every few minutes as I was counting the cost B)

I was dozing of towards the end as it was late, but I believe he found his Kimberlite Pipe and was set make his 24 Million investment look like chicken feed in the grand scheme of things.

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Canada Bob, i doff my Dundonian bunnet to ya sir,you deserve as much success and wealth as this brings you,hopfully you will live long and healthy to enjoy the spoils of yer labours,been a while coming reading yer exploits pm'd previuosly,great stuff,the world would be a better place with more characters of your ilk :angry:

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Well done Bob - I could feel yer frustration, it's bad enough trying to get yer car taxed over there!!!

As for yer investment opportunity with Burnley on Saturday - you might as well just have bought a few of our RBS shares, I've got a few going cheap (very cheap) :P

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Thanks for the kind comments above, appreciated, it was a weird experience, all I have to do now is cash me chips in, might take 3-4 months to get the ink dried {in the US} but I'm on the run in not with all the hurdles cleared.

Hell of a story about the diamond bloke, Canadians aren't usually as bold as he seems to have been, but once you get a few quid under yer belt it does make you a bit more adventurous, wish I'd seen the story, was it on Horizon or something like that ? I used "The Torrent Box" to grab UK TV programs, it's a neat little site, they have links to almost every program that's been broadcast in the UK going back 10 years or more, including soccer matches and horse racing...

As for Burnley, only just got ore that disaster, what p*llocks they turned out to be, not to mention Pompey, why they bothered amazes me they are done for anyway no matter what, must have been some perverse pleasure for them to burn the punters money, anyway, I might get some back today, "I've got a horse" that's supposed to win with a comfortable distance, at a reasonable price, just managed to get on it at 5/2, I'll post the details in the forum.

All the Best,

Canada Bob.

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