[sdiy] Patents

[Tim Stinchcombe]

A few years ago I remember reading something by Don Lancaster, who reckoned
that in order to be able to afford the cost of defending a patent, the idea
would need to be worth $8 million, so that even if the idea was *truly* a
"million dollar idea", taking out a patent was just a waste of time and
money. On checking his site it looks as though he has revised this up to
$12m:

http://www.tinaja.com/patnt01.asp

>From memory, I think he sees the patent system as a means for keeping lots
of lawyers in well-paid jobs, and pretty much pointless and a drain on
finances for the rest of us.

Tim
__________________________________________________________
Tim Stinchcombe 

Cheltenham, Glos, UK
email: tim102 at tstinchcombe.freeserve.co.uk

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl 
> [mailto:owner-synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl] On Behalf Of Ralph
> Sent: 10 December 2004 21:36
> To: ifrc at iar.se
> Cc: synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
> Subject: Re: [sdiy] Patents
> 
> 
> 
> > Has anyone here ever patented anything? Was it worth the 
> money/effort?
> 
> I have two patents. I think they have dampened the spirits of 
> my competition a bit. However in a hostile takeover that had 
> me ejected from my company, I found myself being sued over 
> patent infringement of my own patents. I was not infringing 
> them (Iwrote them- who better to break them) but the 
> lawsuit's main task was simply to drain my resources (which 
> it did admirably) rather then to actually come to a 
> conclusion (it was dropped).
> 
> So, until the takeover occurred, they were a good thing.
> 
> Postscript: being the age of the Internet, my customers came 
> to my rescue and caused the hostile takeover to fail! The 
> easiest way out for the other side was to give the company 
> back to me, although saddled with a promissory note. 
> 
> Crazy world.
> 
> -Ralph
>