Question
Hi everybody! I work at a startup company based in Taiwan that develops cloud computing technology. We are interested in marketing our products (mobile apps, server applications, other software) in the US and the European market. What is the best way to protect our IP? I have heard that is has become very difficult to get a patent for software technology in the US. Is this so and are there other, better options?
Answers: 1 public & 3 private
Patents are usually for freedom to operate, the other way is defensive publishing (so nobody else can patent) and trade-secrets in a PaaS play. Just keep in mind there are gotchas in post-sales support, for example EU data privacy provisions or US ability to seize data within their jurisdiction (or even out of it).
Protecting IP is like any other IT risk, work out the attack surface, engineer to give best combination of features, security, available, integrity, and focus on what customers want (and pay) and not competitors (unless blatant copying).
Recent questions
I am looking for ...
3 6114 2