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This is right. Patents and patent games really only become important when you have enough money that people care about trying to take some of it away. For tech
by VanL 16y ago
This is right. Patents and patent games really only become important when you have enough money that people care about trying to take some of it away.
For tech startups, execution is 100x more important.
IAAPL, and the only time when I would recommend that a tech startup get a patent is when:
- There is a hard technical problem that you solved that is core to your new product/service (think Google)
- You are building a device that requires custom hardware.
- You are in the Biotech space.
- PerryStallings 16y agoPatents are long term intangible assets. There are two reasons to patent a technology. 1) Protection. Pharmaceutical companies invest billions in drug development. Patents protect them from low cost providers coming in without the dev cost. 2) Licensing. The Unreal game engine is in hundreds of games. However with the accelerated development and apllication schedule in the tech industry, it is often more profitable to keep the technology in house. Unless you are developing products for licensing don't worry about patents. Conversely, startups that try to get into the patent game are not likely to have developed anything worth worrying about. Remember, the patent process takes time and you as the patent holder are required to police their property.
- staunch 16y ago> 2) Licensing. The Unreal game engine is in hundreds of games. You can license the right to use a patent, but you don't have to have a patent to license technology you own. Epic Games owns the engine technology (source code, documentation, data files, etc) that licensees pay for the right to use.