
Amazon acquired robotics company Dispatch to build Scout - mmq
https://techcrunch.com/2019/02/07/meet-the-tiny-startup-that-helped-build-amazons-scout-robot/
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lnsru
What will happen to Starship Technologies? Both robots are very similar in
pictures. Wasn’t Estonia good enough market for robotics startup?

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robk
It's hard to believe there's no IP issues as that Amazon one looks JUST like
the Starship model.

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Twirrim
Even if they were, like at almost every major company, engineers in Amazon are
told _not_ to look at patents at all, ever.

The way the patent system in the US is set up, there's a huge financial
difference (orders of magnitude, IIRC) between "accidental infringement" and
"wilful infringement".

If your engineers have never gone looking for patents, it can't be argued that
you wilfully infringed on existing patents, should it ever go to court.

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sib
> The way the patent system in the US is set up, there's a huge financial
> difference (orders of magnitude, IIRC) between "accidental infringement" and
> "wilful infringement".

It's up to 3x ("treble damages") and the US Supreme Court lowered the standard
for granting increased damages not too long ago.

[https://www.jonesday.com/Supreme-Court-Upends-Law-of-
Treble-...](https://www.jonesday.com/Supreme-Court-Upends-Law-of-Treble-
Damages-in-Patent-Cases-06-15-2016/)

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nocam
Why are these ads fixed on ukulele music?

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giorgioz
It feels like this article is purposefully avoiding back-linking to Starship
Technologies website [https://www.starship.xyz](https://www.starship.xyz)

Could have Amazon acqui-hired Starship Technologies instead of Dispatch? The
reason is probably that Dispatch is backed by Andreessen Horowitz.

This doesn’t feel meritocracy to me. It feels Silicon Valley is building an
inner circle where they only invest in each other. Techcrunch seems part of it
avoiding back-linking and SEO gains for Estonian based Starship Technologies.

Is this article just content marketing to publicize Amazon and Dispatch?

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matthewfelgate
So Amazon kinda lied when they said it was built with in house technology.

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mft_
If they bought the smaller company together with its IP, employees, and
patent, that all becomes 'in house', doesn't it?

