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NewCanadianMTurker t1_ja3d7yg wrote

Unfortunately, stuff like this happens all the time. It's common practice for big companies to look for interesting new patents and modify them slightly so they can legally steal product ideas from others. If I ever come up with a million-dollar idea, the first person I'll tell it to is a patent lawyer.

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satbirkira t1_ja5s7ib wrote

> If I ever come up with a million-dollar idea, the first person I'll tell it to is a patent lawyer.

This is good advice for a startup, but terrible advice for inventors. What you should do is to learn how to write and file a provisional patent in the USA, to get one year of patent pending status. And then try to licence out the technology to a company, who will often pay for the complete utility patent for you, or with an advance.

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ghotiaroma t1_ja65n22 wrote

> so they can legally steal

It doesn't even need to be legal, courts will almost always rule for the richest party.

I used to work for a lawyer who explained judges never want their judgements appealed or criticized and that weighs heavily in their decisions. Fucking the little guy is usually a safe move for a judges career. Piss off McDonalds or Amazon and your career can be over.

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RealJonathanBronco t1_ja7jk9c wrote

I think that's an old world mentality that's on its way out. Social media is increasing the reach of the average person by the day. I feel like we're approaching the era where pissing off an influencer will signal boost as much as pissing off a company.

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Accurate_Arachnid_23 t1_ja3pkbe wrote

So it can be stolen?

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NewCanadianMTurker t1_ja3qclg wrote

The alternative to using a patent lawyer is trying to file a patent yourself. But unless you have knowledge/expertise comparable to a patent lawyer's, some corporation would almost certainly find a loophole in your patent and steal your idea.

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DnBenjamin t1_ja4077g wrote

Yeah this is why we have patents for reasonable inventions that go on to claim absurdly broad and vague things. You have to patent not only the specific actual patents invention, but also every conceivable generalization of it.

“Claims… 442. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the handle is cranked by ur mom.”

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ghotiaroma t1_ja66a5i wrote

They can also, and often do, just steal it any way. You can't go to a cop and file a complaint, you have to have a legal team fight a corporation.

The loophole is that our court systems are a tool for the rich, not the little guy.

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ArbitraryMeritocracy t1_ja5zcad wrote

How do you know it's a million dollar idea before getting the patent?

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ghotiaroma t1_ja65zbw wrote

It's worth noting the one who has the idea is not often the one who makes the money from it.

Super Soaker guy is more of the exception than the rule.

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