

Ask HN: Patent for your idea? - gdhillon

Just wondering at what point do you file patent for your idea.<p>Also, is there a way to find out if someone else have filed provisional patent for the same idea?
======
eaurouge
You patent inventions, not ideas. If you choose to file, you may have to give
away information that could be useful to your competition.

A few reasons to patent: . you really have a defensible invention, in which
case you should be doing this with a patent attorney . to gain negotiating
advantage, in case you get drawn into a patent fight . to give the impression
you've invented some truly innovative tech - some VCs like this . to increase
company valuation, in the eyes of VCs and others

A few reasons not to patent: . if you disclose your tech, it could be easily
copied without your knowledge . a patent on your invention is not worth the
cost to file or defend your patent

------
steventruong
This is base on what little I understand of US Patents (does not apply outside
of the US)...

I could be wrong but I don't think you can patent an idea, but rather, a
specific process, method, technology, etc... That said, the overall cost of a
patent can be quite expensive, ranging in the 5-figures all told. Its a
process at that.

As for your original question, I guess like most things, it depends.
Personally, I would like to see the idea gain some traction first before you
attempt to make any unnecessary expensive decisions towards doing a patent,
especially if you don't have the money to lose.

------
glimcat
When you've got $10,000+ to spend on doing so, and have a reasonable
expectation of that being a wise expenditure of resources.

It often happens that patents appear to have significant overlap, so "the same
idea" is a problematic way to look at it. These aren't really evaluated
thoroughly until and unless legal proceedings result.

