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10 Steps to Making Money from Smart Ideas

ipaustralia.gov.au

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Re: 10 Steps to Making Money from Smart Ideas

#11
post #5

That site looks like it is aimed at physical products ("model", "manufacture") rather than software. Physical products are much easier to knock off than evolving, quality software; so IP protection and the like are probably more important.

I couldn't agree more. I think, in fact, that a great deal of the current confusion and chaos surrounding software IP issues can be traced to exactly this important distinction. "Piracy? That's stealing software." Well, no, not exactly, since no physical instance is stolen. Physical things can be stolen. There are analogies in the software world, but they're usually imperfect. "Let's patent our software widgit!" Agai…

Many companies use software/business model patents like Saddam used WMDs - as a way to threaten without actually deploying the skill or resources they don't have.

Unfortunately it's usually a bad business decision to fight the system head on so only the worst intimidators ever encounter resistance.

Re: 10 Steps to Making Money from Smart Ideas

#12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I couldn't agree more. I think, in fact, that a great deal of the current confusion and chaos surrounding software IP issues can be traced to exactly this important distinction. "Piracy? That's stealing software." Well, no, not exactly, since no physical instance is stolen. Physical things can be stolen. There are analogies in the software world, but they're usually imperfect. "Let's patent our software widgit!" Agai…

Many companies use software/business model patents like Saddam used WMDs - as a way to threaten without actually deploying the skill or resources they don't have. Unfortunately it's usually a bad business decision to fight the system head on so only the worst intimidators ever encounter resistance.

Fair point.
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