Because you can look it up. His company owned the rights. Remember, patent ownership can change over time as they can be bought and sold.
The inventor never changes. Assuming someone owns a patent simply because their name is on it as an inventor is a very bad assumption. Most companies own all of the intellectual property rights that are created by their employees. Every employment contract I've ever signed says anything I create is owned by the company.
I believe it is part of the reason Malone was bitter for a long time.
How do you know Malone do not have rights to his patterns? But than he do not seems to be that rich, you could be right
Because you can look it up. His company owned the rights. Remember, patent ownership can change over time as they can be bought and sold.
The inventor never changes. Assuming someone owns a patent simply because their name is on it as an inventor is a very bad assumption. Most companies own all of the intellectual property rights that are created by their employees. Every employment contract I've ever signed says anything I create is owned by the company.
I believe it is part of the reason Malone was bitter for a long time.
Correct. Patents are the property of the employer (unless there is an alternate contractual agreement).