
Ask HN: Advice when patent app pending for similar product? - thrizzyaway
My team has been working on a software product in an established market for some time. We&#x27;re marketing and iterating, and we are optimistic about hitting product&#x2F;market fit.
A US patent application for a similar product has come to light. The product is implemented quite differently based on the application, but the result looks similar to the end user. We fear the application&#x27;s existence will reduce our ability to raise money and&#x2F;or lead us to eventual bet-the-company litigation if granted. How practically difficult is it to prove design differences in a software patent context? We think we&#x27;re clear technologically, but will the burden be on us to expose our code to a judge or adversary in litigation? Assuming the market is big enough, can we steer clear of the US without worry? Are we dead in the water from a VC perspective? As no counsel will likely give us an opinion that it&#x27;s okay to proceed, we&#x27;re asking, what do you think HN?<p>Any insight appreciated.
======
FlyingAvatar
> We're marketing and iterating, and we are optimistic about hitting
> product/market fit.

Keep worrying about this. You're almost certainly spending cycles on a non-
problem, particularly if your implementation is different.

