The limitations of patents
Having a patent brings no guarantees.
In particular be aware that :
- a patent does not guarantee you a source of income. It's up to you to exploit the patented invention effectively.
- nor does it guarantee you freedom to use your invention. You could still be infringing someone else's patent even if you have your own for what you're doing.
- enforcing the patent is up to you. You have to look out for infringers and take legal action against them; the government will not help you with this.
- even after it's granted, the validity of a patent can still be challenged by other people. They might persuade the courts to limit the patent scope or even to revoke it altogether.
- the cost of obtaining a patent is having to disclose your invention to the general public. Once your patent has expired, everyone then has access to your technology.
