[sdiy] touch keyboard patent

[Roman Sowa]

Has anyone ever dealt with capacitive touch keyboard for musical 
instrument in legal terms?
There seems to be quite a few patents out there for this, and many of 
them not expired at all.
I wonder how EDP managed that with their Wasp and Gnat, or maybe the 
patent weren't yet granted back then?
There are also currently made instruments with touch keyboards like 
Buchla and all its clones, MicroFreak and others.
Possibly if I make the pads in funny shape and with obligatory stupid 
graphics, I'm safe, but I'd really like my keyboard to look like keyboard.

Roman