[sdiy] Patents

[Magnus Danielson]

From: "Tim Stinchcombe" <tim102 at tstinchcombe.freeserve.co.uk>
Subject: RE: [sdiy] Patents
Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2004 23:40:33 -0000
Message-ID: <000701c4df11$a9631ea0$8b0a4154 at stingo>

> 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.

If you run a buissness and want to make sure you have that benefit (the
invention) over your competitors, then it is a good idea. As a private person
you need to be much more than very smart (to come up with the idea) to actually
make money out of it. You must be able to "sell it" and have companies to
actually produce anything based on it. If you want have a patent just to have
your name mentioned as inventor, please go ahead!

Cheers,
Magnus - inventor - the multiple offender kind