So does any of these companies benefit financially from these patents?
Patents are very expensive to get. Last I knew it was over $6,000. I guess the idea is, if your innovation is so great that everyone wants it, you can have a monopoly on a market for a while. Defending the patent requires you be quite aggressive, hiring lawyers and being prepared to take it to court. A full legal defense can cost over $30,000. If you win, the infringer pays your costs plus.
A patent can be used as a bludgeon to try to intimidate others away from competing, but it is expensive and unless you have a airtight case, it may not be very effective. A simple change can usually eliminate the infringement, but the competition doesn't necessarily go away.
The biggest obstacle to success there is in the wooden kayak business is not competition from other wooden kayak businesses, the obstacle is obscurity.
Essentially nobody in the greater world knows that wooden kayaks are a thing. The best thing to happen in this industry is to have another wooden kayak built. When Orca Boats builds a kayak, it is one more center of attention on the water or on the roof of a car that will inform maybe 100 or 1,000 new people that a wooden kayak is a thing, and maybe a few of those new people will want to buy or build one for themselves. And if that new person looks around and sees there is also a Pygmy option or Warren Williamson option, or Laughing Loon option, or a Guillemot option, I am may get business from your boat. Success for one is future success for others.
So, I personally I think this kind of patent can only hurt financially. It costs money up front, they cost money to protect, provide very limited protection and success at holding back the "competition" can only serve to get fewer kayaks built which hurts all of us in the long run.
Messages In This Thread
- S&G: first multi-chine kayak
warren williamson -- 8/17/2015, 10:41 pm- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
Etienne Muller -- 8/18/2015, 3:44 am- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak *PIC*
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 8/18/2015, 8:12 am- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
Justin -- 8/18/2015, 10:38 am- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
Dan Caouette (CSCWC) -- 8/18/2015, 11:04 am- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
Victor -- 8/18/2015, 11:41 am- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
warren williamson -- 8/18/2015, 12:17 pm- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
Justin -- 8/18/2015, 1:36 pm- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
bsoderholm -- 8/18/2015, 3:08 pm- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
Justin -- 8/18/2015, 3:57 pm
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
Bill Hamm -- 8/18/2015, 10:19 pm- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
Pete -- 8/18/2015, 11:00 pm- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
Jay babina -- 10/20/2015, 11:43 am- Patent Foolishness
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 10/21/2015, 11:21 am
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
- Patent 6779477 *PIC*
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 8/19/2015, 8:48 am- Re: Patent 6779477
Bill Hamm -- 8/19/2015, 5:07 pm- Re: Patent 6779477
Bill Hamm -- 10/20/2015, 3:26 am- Re: Patent 6779477
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 10/20/2015, 9:59 am- Re: Patent 6779477
Bill Hamm -- 10/20/2015, 2:00 pm- Re: Patent 6779477
Björn Thomasson -- 11/1/2017, 6:03 pm
- Re: Patent 6779477
- Re: Patent 6779477
- Re: Patent 6779477
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
- Pygmy Recessed Ckpt Patent
mick allen -- 8/18/2015, 7:02 pm- Re: Pygmy Recessed Ckpt Patent
warren williamson -- 8/19/2015, 1:15 am- Recessed Ckpt Patent: the Guy
mick allen -- 8/19/2015, 3:47 am- Re: Pygmy Recessed Ckpt Patent
Bill Hamm -- 8/19/2015, 5:12 pm- Re: Pygmy Recessed Ckpt Patent
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 8/20/2015, 8:15 am - Re: Pygmy Recessed Ckpt Patent
- Re: Pygmy Recessed Ckpt Patent *PIC*
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 8/19/2015, 8:56 am- Re: Pygmy Recessed Ckpt Patent
Rod Tait -- 8/19/2015, 11:37 am- Re: Pygmy Recessed Ckpt Patent
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 8/19/2015, 1:04 pm- Re: Patents
Rod Tait -- 8/19/2015, 8:17 pm- Re: Patents
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 8/20/2015, 10:22 am- Re: Patents
Daniel Thaler -- 8/20/2015, 12:58 pm- Re: Patents
warren williamson -- 8/20/2015, 2:39 pm
- Re: Patents
Dan Caouette (CSCWC) -- 8/20/2015, 3:52 pm- Re: Patents
Rod Tait -- 8/20/2015, 4:40 pm- Re: Patents
Bill Hamm -- 8/20/2015, 5:46 pm- Re: Patents
Shawn Jones -- 8/26/2015, 4:34 am- Re: Patents *PIC*
Shawn Jones -- 8/26/2015, 4:59 am
- Re: Patents *PIC*
Dan Thaler -- 10/11/2015, 6:47 pm - Re: Patents
- Re: Patents
Alex Ferguson -- 11/2/2017, 6:20 am- Re: Patents
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 11/2/2017, 10:20 am- Re: Patents
JohnAbercrombie -- 11/2/2017, 11:01 am
- Re: Patents
- Re: Patents
- Re: Patents
- Re: Patents
- Re: Pygmy Recessed Ckpt Patent
mick allen -- 8/19/2015, 10:11 pm - Re: Pygmy Recessed Ckpt Patent
- Recessed Ckpt Patent: the Guy
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
Brian Nystrom -- 8/19/2015, 7:30 am- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
daan Daaniels -- 10/18/2015, 2:53 pm- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
daan Daniels -- 10/18/2015, 2:55 pm- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
Marc Upchurch -- 10/18/2015, 3:44 pm- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak *PIC*
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 10/18/2015, 8:56 pm- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
Björn Thomasson -- 11/1/2017, 6:44 pm- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
mick allen -- 11/1/2017, 7:41 pm- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
Björn Thomasson -- 11/2/2017, 4:15 am- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 11/2/2017, 8:36 am- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
mick allen -- 11/3/2017, 10:40 pm
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
- Letters from Attorneys
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 11/2/2017, 9:14 am- Re: Letters from Attorneys
M A Bielski -- 11/3/2017, 7:55 am- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 11/3/2017, 9:19 am- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark
JohnAbercrombie -- 11/3/2017, 12:26 pm- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 11/3/2017, 5:01 pm- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark
JohnAbercrombie -- 11/3/2017, 5:19 pm- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark
JohnAbercrombie -- 11/3/2017, 5:21 pm- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark
M A Bielski -- 11/3/2017, 11:40 pm- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark
Etienne Muller -- 11/4/2017, 6:26 pm
- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark
- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark
- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark
Jay Babina -- 11/4/2017, 7:33 pm- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark
JohnAbercrombie -- 11/4/2017, 8:24 pm- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 11/4/2017, 11:17 pm- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark *PIC*
Etienne Muller -- 11/5/2017, 3:50 am- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark
Etienne Muller -- 11/5/2017, 3:54 am- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark
Paul Sylvester -- 11/5/2017, 5:00 am- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark, names
JohnAbercrombie -- 11/5/2017, 4:40 pm- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark, names
JohnAbercrombie -- 11/5/2017, 4:49 pm
- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark, names
- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 11/5/2017, 8:54 am- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark
Jay Babina -- 11/5/2017, 6:35 pm
- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark
- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark
- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark
- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark
- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark
- Re: Patent vs Trade Mark
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
Bill Hamm -- 11/2/2017, 9:10 pm- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
Bill Hamm -- 11/2/2017, 9:37 pm - Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
LeeG -- 10/19/2015, 5:35 pm- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
mick allen -- 10/20/2015, 1:26 am- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak *PIC*
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 10/20/2015, 11:00 am- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak *PIC*
mick allen -- 10/20/2015, 8:28 pm- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak *PIC*
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 10/20/2015, 9:56 pm- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
mick allen -- 10/21/2015, 4:06 pm
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
mick allen -- 10/31/2017, 1:48 pm- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 10/31/2017, 6:03 pm- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
mick allen -- 10/31/2017, 7:32 pm
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak *PIC*
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak *PIC*
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak *PIC*
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak *PIC*
- Re: S&G: first multi-chine kayak