There are big discounts for small inventors. The basic filing and examination fee for a "micro entity" is $250 now. If a patent issues, that adds $240.
> Admittedly, that process doesn't work well in all too many cases, but it would make the system orders of magnitude worse if instead of having an in-advance examination process we just had a series of patent applications hanging around waiting for litigation to start to provide an excuse for them to be examined.
Why exactly? For whom?
Re:Google Patent Purchase Promotion
by dragonwriter on Tuesday April 28, 2015 @12:40PM
(#9453548)
> Why exactly?
Because it magnifies the lack of clarity problems in the current poor examination process which both makes litigation between market participants in comparable positions more likely and makes market players with less resources more compelled to knuckle under to those with more because they can't afford the risk of litigation. The greater clarity is provided in advance, the less uncertainty/risk is involved in litigation, which both makes litigation less common and reduces coercion of market participants by those more able to afford risky litigation.
> For whom?
Pretty much everyone, though less for the richest players in the market and the patent lawyers.
No, since the whole point of that patent system is to have these examined, reviewed, and notice publicly provided so that people can do business without having to resort to litigation (sure, with the implicit threat of litigation in the background, but examination and patent grants are supposed to provide a degree of clarity.)
Admittedly, that process doesn't work well in all too many cases, but it would make the system orders of magnitude worse if instead of having an in-advance examination process we just had a series of patent applications hanging around waiting for litigation to start to provide an excuse for them to be examined.