Is the 6502 patented? If so, can anyone tell me the patent number?

_________________
Sam

---
"OK, let's see, A0 on the 6502 goes to the ROM. Now where was that reset vector?"

Hello Sam ( & EveryOne Else )

I am sure the '02' must have been patented, but as yet I have not
been able to find it. ( Maybe Someone else in the group has )
What I have been able to find are the patents for the C02 & the 816.
They are as follows : 65C02 : 4652992
65816 : 4739475

Go to : www.freepatentsonline.com to view or download these. As well
you can search for the other patents that Mr.Mensch has filed over the
years. ( There are a few more than I can list here )

FreePatentsOnline is a great site. Take the time to figure out how to do
searches, as you would expect there is anything and everything there.

Good Luck and happy hunting ( for patents that is ! )

-Wally.

Back in the early 70s, the whole idea of "intellectual property" and patenting wasn't nearly an issue then as it is now. The original 6502 was likely a trade secret, and not something that was expressly protected by several layers of red-tape.

Today, it seems like in order to publicly disclose anything, you need patent coverage for the device, plus several layers of trademark protection for every word you use in the title, a certification program to ensure compatibility, non-disclosure and non-compete agreements if you want to use the damn thing, and of course, all of these things are under far, far, far tighter copyright law now that the DMCA has passed, which means I theoretically can't even write a review on the project without somehow violating the DMCA ("He mentions our product's title in his article! SUE!!!!!!")