Should I be concerned about a patent threat?
Should I be concerned about a patent threat?
I launched a project that uses deep learning to detect 3D printing failures. It got quite some traction recently. But then someone contacted me by email and said he has filed patent for "deep learning to detect 3D printing failures" and it's in pending status.
I checked everything and couldn't find his product. Apparently he only has a stub github repo. At this moment I'm pretty sure he hasn't done anything about it beside just filing the patent.
But when I researched a bit more, I was shocked to learn this seems to be a common practice: patent something just to shake some money from the people who eventually make it work.
Should I be concerned about his patent threat? What can I do to defend against it?
Hello Kenneth...I have been an inventor & product designer since the 1980s .
And yes..I have dealt with guys like this before..so here are a few tips that I have learned...
Understanding patent trolls is easy...they are motivated solely by one thing...MONEY...NOT... Creativity..this is their weakness .
Yes this is a common practice..and it is actually a BILLION dollar business .
" patent something just to shake some money from the people who eventually make it work " is a spot on assessment...
LOT Network is an Anti Troll Alliance that can help you
https://lotnet.com/how-lot-works/ ( youtube video )
Ah... it's sad. I'll take a look at lotnet. Thanks a lot @SUPERViLLAiN
I second what @SUPERViLLAiN said. However, I wouldn't stress too much either. A patent application is not guarantee of a patent being granted. I could submit an application for a device that helps cars move forward on level terrain... Anyways, it is worth keeping an eye out. If there is indeed a patent that you may be breaching, you are doing the risky work for someone else (validating market, etc.).
If you can't find the patent online, it means it wasn't granted yet. Unless this person gives you more information, there is nothing to be worried about at this stage, but you should definitely be aware. If you are small business and he is an individual, there's no much he can gain and no lawyer will pick the case. If you are making millions, or the other person is a big corporation, then you should thinks differently.
If your business is flourishing, you could submit your own patent also, as a means to protect yourself from these kind of people.
@kennethjiang For what it's worth, Kenneth, you should NOT be searching for patents online. In the U.S., damages for knowingly infringing a patent are much higher than if infringement was accidental. For this reason most tech companies typically prohibit their employees from viewing patents while building things.
Wow I didn't know that! Thank you so much for this helpful tip @typpo
It does look like his patent is still pending as I can't find it anywhere. And I quickly searched for that person and he appears to be just an individual who doesn't have any substantial financial backings. I guess I will stay put for now. Thanks a lot @aqui_c
This comment was deleted 7 years ago
This comment was deleted 7 years ago