Re:Your idea is brilliant, your idea is worthless (2016)
by kiba on Tuesday July 20, 2021 @10:30AM
(#27894197)
Forever? Patents have a 20-year lifespan and require you to disclose your methodology, allowing others to copy your idea as soon as your exclusivity period is up. In a world without patents, small inventors would have their ideas stolen immediately by corporations that have the resources to build and sell the invention.
The big corporations have the resources to build and sell the invention and defend against a patent lawsuit regardless.
Moreover, the big corporations already can use patents against smaller competitors and can fund more R&D to get patents and can simply sit on it.
Also, it isn't always a good idea to disclose how your stuff work. For example, SpaceX doesn't do that because the Chinese government will copy their stuff. Not that it matters. The problem with the space industry is that the old space contractors and governments rest on their laurel even when SpaceX became the Goliath of the Space industry.
The big corporations have the resources to build and sell the invention and defend against a patent lawsuit regardless.
Moreover, the big corporations already can use patents against smaller competitors and can fund more R&D to get patents and can simply sit on it.
Also, it isn't always a good idea to disclose how your stuff work. For example, SpaceX doesn't do that because the Chinese government will copy their stuff. Not that it matters. The problem with the space industry is that the old space contractors and governments rest on their laurel even when SpaceX became the Goliath of the Space industry.