Re: Gates Patents Flipping a Light Switch

[NOSPAMdave]

According to Stefaan A Eeckels  <tengo@DELETEMEecc.lu>:
> On Sat, 15 May 2004 16:59:08 -0400
> Barry Margolin <barmar@alum.mit.edu> wrote:
> 
> > Are you expecting the laws to be applied differently for different 
> > companies?  Patents are something that anyone can take advantage of.  
> > Little guys can use them to keep big guys from walking all over them.  
> > Big guys use them as a way to stay big.
> 
> Little guys might not be able to afford patents. 
> Does anyone have an idea how much it costs to get
> a software invention patented?

I attended a talk the other day on patents by the former
corporate counsel of a software company.  He mentioned
a range of $7K-$60K to get each patent, but noted that
it was probably going to cost at least $500K to fight or
defend a patent in court.  That's the more significant
obstacle, but it also works both ways.  While it's a
significant obstacle for the little guy trying to defend
against a charge of infringement, even Bill Gates can't
afford to spend $500K swatting every fly that comes along.

So a lot of innocent non-willful infringement is likely
to slip by under the radar.  People are only likely
to go to court over a patent if one side or the other
thinks they have millions at stake.

-- 
Dave Wallace            (Remove NOSPAM from my address to email me)
It is quite humbling to realize that the storage occupied by the longest
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