Robot Vacuum Roomba Maker Files for Bankruptcy After 35 Years

Re:Robot Vacuum Roomba Maker Files for Bankruptcy After 35 Y... by kqr on Monday December 15, 2025 @01:01PM (#46278005)

> Most of the time when things get patented, it's strictly worse for innovation in that space until the patents expire.

What happens at expiration is an important and intended feature of patents. They trade a legally guaranteed headstart against the requirement of publishing your methods for your competitors to learn from.

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Re:Robot Vacuum Roomba Maker Files for Bankruptcy After 35 Y... by margalabargala on Monday December 15, 2025 @02:04PM (#46278832)

Oh, I know.

The fact that it takes decades for that to come about is harmful to society.

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Re:Robot Vacuum Roomba Maker Files for Bankruptcy After 35 Y... by kqr on Monday December 15, 2025 @03:42PM (#46280341)

I agree. I'd assume that's a holdover from a time when innovation moved slower.

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Re:Robot Vacuum Roomba Maker Files for Bankruptcy After 35 Y... by mattthebaker on Monday December 15, 2025 @03:23PM (#46280053)

You would prefer the inventor to be basically ensured of financial destruction and disincentivized in the first place, sounds great for society.

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Re:Robot Vacuum Roomba Maker Files for Bankruptcy After 35 Y... by margalabargala on Monday December 15, 2025 @03:37PM (#46280252)

Skill issue. That just sounds like you're bad at inventing things and running businesses.

Lots of places sell unique/novel things that are not patented, successfullyn

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Re:Robot Vacuum Roomba Maker Files for Bankruptcy After 35 Y... by joquarky on Monday December 15, 2025 @11:30PM (#46284792)

I'd say it might be time to talk about putting a pause on incentives to advance non-medical technologies at the moment.

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