Just a note to all interested.
A luthier has just informed me that he just tried to license the patent from Novak, and was told that it was expired and no license was necessary. Evidently the patent term ran 17 years from the patent grant date, rather than 20 years from the patent filing date.
Novax still holds the trademark rights to the term, "Fanned-Fret(tm)".
So now you can all make your f*nned-fret basses without fear of a lawsuit. Just like they've been doing since the sixteenth century.
Novax patent EXPIRED! 
