turtlespeed 226 #1 May 12, 2004 Has anyone applied for one? Is it a pain in the ass? Are those "Patent Starter" companies worth while? What all is involved?I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chopchop 0 #2 May 12, 2004 Reading one of my competitor's patents as we speak.. I have one.. it was expensive and time-consuming.. Make sure you have a market for your invention and it is worth the time, money and effort to do it.. I am quite happy I got mine when I did.. It has paid off in $$ and in satisfaction in watching other company's try to wriggle around it.. Now, if I can just wriggle around theirs.. chopchop gotta go... Plaything needs a spanking.. Lotsa Pictures Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,120 #3 May 12, 2004 I have a few. We have a legal department who takes care of the filing. It's a pain in the ass, and doesn't really give you much protection, especially nowadays. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
turtlespeed 226 #4 May 12, 2004 Why is that? Can you elaborate?I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
happythoughts 0 #5 May 12, 2004 I have a friend with a patent on a medical device. 1- See a lawyer first. 2- Don't describe it to anyone. 3- Since his device was medical, it took 6 years and a lot of medical studies. 4- A group of Japanese were in the patent office everyday reviewing new patents to copy. Some countries have rather lax enforcement of your patent rights. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lawrocket 3 #6 May 12, 2004 QuoteIs it a pain in the ass? QuoteDamn straight. You have to go through other patents and look around to see how yours is different QuoteAre those "Patent Starter" companies worth while? QuoteHmm. You want to say, "Hi, Mr. Invention Submission Company. I have this great idea and I want you to help me patent it." Patent shows up in its name and not yours. Now, you ARE screwed. It happens a lot. QuoteWhat all is involved? QuoteFundamentally, you have to search to see whether patents have been granted for similar things. Then you have to explain how yours is different from others. You have to explain the process and the like in a pretty scientific way. Fundamentally, I wouldn't TOUCH patent prosecution. It's way above me. But, I've got a good friend who does it for a living. My wife is hotter than your wife. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rehmwa 2 #7 May 12, 2004 QuoteI have a few. We have a legal department who takes care of the filing. It's a pain in the ass, and doesn't really give you much protection, especially nowadays. Almost word for word what I've experienced. ... Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
turtlespeed 226 #8 May 13, 2004 What about Letter and such of Confidentiality? Would that be enough protection during the R&D phase? I contacted a company that has a piece of equipment that would have the same memory and feature quantity that I would need. Is there a generic Confidentiality form I can send them before I let out the details?I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,120 #9 May 13, 2004 >Would that be enough protection during the R&D phase? Best thing you can do during R+D phase is to take really good notes and measurements and date them. Pictures help too. If you can prove prior art, you can invalidate anyone else's attempt to get a patent on your device. But here's an example of why patents aren't worth much: Qualcomm and another company (let's call them TJ) sued each other over a patent a while back. We held the patent, they came out with a basically identical patent a little while later (the patent office doesn't really check previous patents very well.) We produced tons of notebooks and such to prove we were first. They produced tons of notebooks, most dated later than ours. Stuck in one of the notebooks was a Qualcomm proprietary block diagram of the system in question, predating most of their work! It had the "Qualcomm confidential" ripped off the bottom but we produced the original. Open and shut case, right? Nope. The first sign of trouble was when the judge asked "Who is Mr. Block, and what does his diagram have to do with this case?" Then the legal team started looking at the jury. There was one former telecom salesman on the jury; the rest were housewives, mechanics, bartenders etc. Non-technical people. And TJ wasn't really claiming that the idea was theirs first. Instead, they portrayed TJ as a struggling, hardworking company trying to be the classic US success story, while Qualcomm was a bloated evil corporation trying to stifle innovation. We settled out of court for a few million. We would probably have lost the case, by the best estimates of our lawyers. By settling we got control of the patent, which is what we wanted. Patents are good things to get if you can afford it and you are going to base most of your income on it. But often it's better to simply innovate faster than the other guy can copy you. They provide minimal protection. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
turtlespeed 226 #10 May 13, 2004 Thanks. Time for a research postI'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
