[Info-vax] HTTP/2 stole my Applet

[lawrencedo99 at gmail.com]

On Sunday, June 19, 2016 at 3:21:36 AM UTC+12, Simon Clubley wrote:
>
> On 2016-06-18, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:
>
>>
>> Can you own an idea?
> 
> Yes. Copyights protect an implementation of an idea; a patent protects
> the idea itself.

If someone came up with the same idea before you, that can invalidate your patent (“prior art”).

But if they came up with the same idea *after* you, they cannot claim independent invention as a defence against infringement. Why is that?