Professors Confirm Limits on Startup Interest in Patents

Last November, I wrote You Can Have a Successful Business Even if You Don?t Have a Patent. Many of the points that I made in that post are reiterated in an article that will be published this summer in the Berkeley Technology Law Journal.

The article, “High Technology Entrepreneurs and the Patent System”, is available as a Free Download on the Downloads page. Among the findings presented in the article:

• Whereas life sciences companies see patents as critical, software and Internet companies rely more on copyrights and trademarks.
• Patents are used to reduce competition and to attract capital; they do not provide strong incentives to innovate.
• The major reason why companies do not apply for patents is that they are expensive to obtain and to enforce.
• Many companies find it is more important to be the “first mover” than to obtain patents.

Dana H. Shultz, Attorney at Law  +1 510-547-0545  dana [at] danashultz [dot] com
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