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I think there's a big difference between applying for a patent for protection vs. applying for a patent to wield it as a sword. If your company could get a pate
by rewind 16y ago
I think there's a big difference between applying for a patent for protection vs. applying for a patent to wield it as a sword. If your company could get a patent that it could use as a defense against a big company that held other similarly-ridiculous patents, but with the deep pockets to sue you, you'd be foolish not to at least consider it. Not liking the rules of a game is not reason enough to ignore them if it means your opponent will leverage those same rules to knock you out of the game altogether.
- mrkurt 16y agoThe patent answer was a response to "how are you going to protect your intellectual property and keep your competitors from imitating you?" Doesn't exactly sound defensive, does it? Keep in mind, too, that if Hipmunk is bought out by (say) Orbitz, Orbitz suddenly owns all their patents and will use them if they can.
- carbocation 16y ago> I think there's a big difference between applying for a patent for protection vs. applying for a patent to wield it as a sword. Patents for protection... Like Sun's patents, right?
- rewind 16y agoI didn't say that all patent applications are for protection.
- carbocation 16y agoI guess I was trying to express the following: I believe that Sun's patents really were intended defensively, but upon their acquisition by oracle this got turned on its head.
- rewind 16y agoGotcha. Didn't read it that way originally.
- carbocation 16y agoYeah, sorry, it came off snarkier than I had intended.