I'm in the process of starting an online testing site for a niche
area, and was reading about frivulous patents held by companies in
this area, especially test.com. Can someone help me evaluate the risk
to a small outfit? Test.com actually went after some universities --
does anyone know if they succeeded? What if we base the company
overseas? In general, what kind of risk are we running? |
Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
17 Nov 2005 17:16 PST
There are certainly companies that make a living by targeting others
for patent infringement -- frivolous or otherwise. They generally go
after the 'deep pockets', though there's certainly no guarantee that
they wouldn't pursue a little guy as well.
There's a limit to the amount of research we can do for a $10
question. Do you want us to research the outcome of the test.com
actions? Or is there some other sort of information you're seeking?
Let us know how we can best help you.
pafalafa-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
nandun-ga
on
18 Nov 2005 02:12 PST
Specific interests are (a) outcome of test.com actions (b) probability
of success when the patent is obviously frivulous -- do the courts in
the U.S. take that into account (c) cost of defense + how much time do
these lawsuits take. I already did preliminary research, but don't
really have the background to research in more detail.
|
Clarification of Question by
nandun-ga
on
18 Nov 2005 15:26 PST
Also raised the amount I'm willing to pay -- realize its not a trivial assignment
|
Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
13 Dec 2005 20:03 PST
nandun-ga,
I've been looking into the test.com issue that you mentioned. From
what I can tell, they haven't actually collected on any of their
claims, though that sort of information isn't always made public.
Of course, what one person deems frivolous, another takes quite
seriously, so it's hard to know in advance how 'safe' or 'at risk' you
might be on that account.
Probably the best that can be done for you is to steer you towards
some information on the test.com patents, so you can evaluate for
yourself how much overlap there might be between their patented
process for online testing, and what you have in mind for your
business.
Let me know your thoughts on this.
paf
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