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Supreme Court Continues to Address Patent Concerns
The Supreme Court has taken on another possibly landscape-changing patent case that will determine if patent holders are able to sue everyone up and down the food chain for a patent infringement. "This case, officially between LG and Quanta, really concerns the question of how many times patent holders can get a cut of any component found violating a patent. Currently, patent holders will often sue up and down the food chain. So, if you happen to have a patent on a component within a motor that is used in automobile wipers, you could sue the motor maker, the wiper maker and the auto manufacturer -- and get all three to pay, even though the same product is used throughout the supply chain. This case will look at whether or not it makes sense to allow for that type of double, triple or quadruple dipping."
If you're a sole inventor or small business, that is. Even though the Constitution starts with "We, the people", you can bet your last dollar this Supreme Court will rule in a way that is favorable for big business, and not "the people" at all. My prediction: if you're a big business and your patents get infringed upon, you will have every legal recourse available to you including jail time for the offender. If you're a little guy and big business infringes your patents, they will get their wrists slapped at best. At worst, they will be able to use the "we didn't mean to do it" defense. Either way you'll pay through the nose to even get that far.