[sdiy] Buchla's back

[WeAreAs1 at aol.com]

In a message dated 8/31/04 5:27:23 PM, tparkhurst at siliconbandwidth.com writes:

<< To tell you the truth, I wonder if

any of the ARP stuff is still protected. Did Fender buy ALL the ARP patents,

ideas, etc, or just the Chroma? If someone was going to reissue an Odyssey

or something like that, I would hope they’d at least attempt to do the right

thing, but I doubt that anything legally enforceable is still in effect.  >>

Most U.S. Patents are in effect for 17 years -- at least that's how it used 
to be.  That's why things like Moog ladder filters are fair game these days.  I 
think even the Yamaha/Chowning patents on their type of FM synthesis are now 
expired.  That would explain the recent appearance of FM softsynth VST 
plug-ins.  Unfortunately, there's not a huge interest in FM anymore -- we basically 
ran it into the ground in the 80's (when EVERYONE sold off their great analog 
synths in order to buy a DX7, so they could sound like everybody else).

Michael B.