
Ask HN: Do startups still focus on obtaining patents nowadays (2017)? - barelyusable
Cost of the fees can be $10k+. Typically one has no $$$ to actually execute and enforce a patent. It looks like to have a startup with IP protected by some legal paper, but realistically it&#x27;s useless. Do patents even increase the valuation?<p>In other words: is it still worth to bother about thinking about patenting in a startup?
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kjksf
They never did.

If you use the definition of a startup as "still searching for a business
model" and not "any company of any age and size as long as it's involved in
technology", then there's no reason for them to apply for a patent.

By the above definition, startups haven't yet figured out what is their exact
product, what is their business model etc. There's nothing there to protect
with patents yet.

And what also follows, they're not successful yet so no-one will sue them for
patent infringement. Lawsuits are about money. If there's no money to extract,
there's no point in suing.

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baccheion
Old world companies usually/commonly avoided patents, as they just spelt
things out for the competition (ie, showed the competition how to copy them).
Most things worth knowing were held as trade secrets.

Having a patent could easily be a good marketing strategy, but I'm not sure if
it's as relevant today (I'm saying I don't know not that it isn't relevant).

