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Logically, it can also have the opposite effect. If you have all the rights for a product, you have no incentive to improve it, until the patents are about to
by derekp7 12y ago
Logically, it can also have the opposite effect. If you have all the rights for a product, you have no incentive to improve it, until the patents are about to expire.
- CamperBob2 12y agoMy favorite example is the Roomba. Cool new vacuum cleaner invented, ridiculously broad/abstract patents filed... result, near zero progress for 20 years.
- rhino369 12y agoPatents don't give you rights to a product. Only a certain implementation of one. Your competitors will patent improved versions if you don't. They might also invent a product using a new implementation leaving you with no market. And in practice, it doesn't work that way. Companies acquire patents on each minor upgrade to their technology.
- vidarh 12y agoYour competitors won't exist if your basic patents are broad enough to deny them access to the market.
- derekp7 12y agoI was thinking more along the lines of competitors who are in the same space as you (let's say, light bulb manufactures) -- you patent a new type of bulb, your competitors could patent a bunch of improvements on it to deny you future market on improved versions.