copyright patents
If one invents a real life portal gun, can Valve sue them for copyright infringement?
<p>I am just curious, whether an owner of an artistic depiction of non-yet-existent device has any rights on that device in case it's actually invented later? Can owner use their rights, if any, to issue cease &amp; desist letters to inventors based on the fact that they were first to describe the thing, but not actually invent it?</p>

<p>By artistic depictions I mean pictures, books, games, movies etc. So, in an unlikely case somebody implements a device that visually operates with principles akin to what was depicted in fictional ASHPD device, can Valve actually pretend it's infringing their rights? Or, alternatively, if somebody implements dynamic environments consisting of robotic composable panels, can Valve say that they had described this earlier, so they have the priority?</p>

<p>And, as a side question — if somebody gets a patent on something non-yet-existant (e.g. "portal device") and gives vague description of a device that allows instant travel via connected portals, without giving any accent on how would it work — will this patent (being actually a work of fiction) be actually infringed later on actual invention?</p>

<p>Copyright infringement requires copying.</p>

<p>The inventor could very reasonably invent a device without any reference or even knowledge of the artistic depiction in the Portal games. If the inventor hasn't copied anything, they aren't infringing copyright.</p>

<p>Also, with respect to 2d depictions of 3d objects, only architectural drawings are protected in that way: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_in_architecture_in_the_United_States">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_in_architecture_in_the_United_States</a></p>

<p>With respect to your patent question, Valve hasn't publicly disclosed <em>how</em> to make a Portal gun, so an inventor of a Portal gun would not be blocked from patenting it. You can't get a patent without describing how to actually make the invention.</p>
