[Coco] Re: JPEG

[Bob]

--- James Ross <jr at webross.com> wrote:
> Roger Taylor wrote:
> 
> >James Ross wrote:
> >>I hope you are joking :) I don't know of any inventor that would come
> >>up with something really cool, patent it, and just wait around and
> >>count how many people steal it and make dollars with it, unless the
> >>plan was for the lawsuit to begin with.  
> 
> >Nope, it's not a joke.  I'm convinced that there are hundreds, if not, 
> >thousands of patent holders who do wait around and see how many people will 
> >steal it before their lawsuit will be worth the hassle.
> 
> No doubt that many companies patent anything and everything that the
> office will let them… just in case it is a good idea. Most of them are
> probably not.  If they were they would be making money on it and
> protecting their patent dutifully. Only a lazy fat cat would wait
> around for years and years to make money by a lawsuit with a good idea
> that they own.  I think this rare. You think there are thousands.  I
> doubt it.  
> 

It happens enough that there is a name for it. They're called "submarine
patents".

IMO it's like trying to place a bet after you've seen which horse won.
There are people doing this intentionally, maliciously if you will, but mostly
I think it's just chickens. They aren't willing to take the risk that "they
*could* have made millions instead of hundreds of thousands (or whatever).


Bob


	
		
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at Yahoo! HotJobs  
http://hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/careermakeover