I love talking to inventors about protecting ideas.
But while I used to receive calls asking about the procedure for getting a patent, I no longer do. I fear it’s because inventors no longer believe patents are worthwhile.
I get it: if I were to get a call today, I couldn’t paint a rosy picture for would-be patentees. What do we say, today, to someone who calls to ask about patenting their invention? Who wants to file an infringement litigation? What if they ask how much it’s going to cost?
Times change. So has patent law. And not for the better.
Yesterday, Gene Quinn published my satire, “Confessions of a Frustrated Patent Attorney: The Telephone Call,” on his blog at IPWatchdog. It’s a transcript of what an imaginary phone call with an inventor might sound like today. The news isn’t good for inventors, and while I enjoyed writing the piece, and I think its title is apt, times really are frustrating.
Satire is born of truth, they say. I hope my essay helps change people’s minds, and I’m encouraged by the thoughtfulness of the comments, too. Read it all here.
MIMI
