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From Wikipedia: "Myhrvold, usually with coinventors, holds 17 U.S. patents assigned to Microsoft[3] and has applied for more than 500 patents.[4] In addition, M
by BadassFractal 15y ago
From Wikipedia: "Myhrvold, usually with coinventors, holds 17 U.S. patents assigned to Microsoft[3] and has applied for more than 500 patents.[4] In addition, Myhrvold and coinventors hold 115 U.S. patents assigned mostly to The Invention Science Fund I, LLC"
Sounds like someone's got a lot to gain from the patent system staying the way it is.
- monochromatic 15y agoIt also sounds like he's not the stereotypical patent troll who hasn't created anything himself, but just buys patents.
- dunham 15y ago"However, Myhrvold has turned that trickle of ideas into a torrent by acquiring patents. The concept is simple: Intellectual Ventures buys technology patents (30,000 and counting), gathers them into a critical mass then sells or licenses the intellectual property." http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/entrepreneur/article7127608.ece (via the Wikipedia article on Intellectual Ventures, Myhrvold's company)
- monochromatic 15y agoYeah, they've blurred the line a little bit. But the canonical patent troll is one that hasn't created anything, just capitalizes someone else's patents... and Myhrvold doesn't really fit into that category.
- sixtofour 15y agoThere is nothing to stop a formerly innovating person from currently acting the troll. Former innovation does not sweeten current trolling
- monochromatic 15y agoWhat's a troll? Definitions vary, but they all agree that it includes not innovating, just purchasing and asserting patents. All I was saying is that this definition doesn't really fit.
- petegrif 15y agoNot quite that simple. They also work with leading scientists to innovate.