True Story of Beating a Patent Troll

By Tim Berry

The patent system as it relates to software and the web and mobile apps is broken. It doesn’t work. It doesn’t protect the right people and it’s being used by the wrong people for what amounts to extortion. Oh, I’m sorry — you didn’t know that? Just my opinion, you say? Yes. My opinion. And... Read More »

Q&A revisited: Really, How Do I Sell My Idea to a Big Company. Part 2.

By Tim Berry

Irony: This post from about a year ago explains why you can’t sell an idea to a large company, and recommends not even trying. And dozens of reader comments ask how to do exactly what the post itself says they shouldn’t even try. And I get more comments all the time, plus emails on my... Read More »

5 Signs of Patent Sharks Preying on Your Dream Invention

By Tim Berry

I’m really sorry to be the one to throw a bucket of cold reality splashing over inventors’ dreams. But darn, patents don’t mean what they once did, and businesses preying on patent hopefuls are not ethical businesses. These are shark-filled waters. Be careful. What brings this up is this email I received last week through... Read More »

Q&A: How Do I Sell My Idea to A Big Company?

By Tim Berry

This is another email question I received via my ask-me-a-question form on my timberry.com site. I’ve edited it slightly: I recently read your article protect your ideas and I have an idea that I want to protect and want to pitch to a company. I don’t know if I can turn my idea into a... Read More »

Startups Beware: Patents are Like Umbrellas. False Confidence.

By Tim Berry

For startups, patents are nice to have, but not if you trust them to really protect you. In that they’re like umbrellas. Good protection in a drizzle. False confidence in a downpour. I write that because I’ve read about 50 real startup business plans in the last two months, and I’ve gone through at least... Read More »

Why Market Numbers Are Like Patents: Good, But Not To Be Believed

By Tim Berry

I was enjoying Chris Dixon’s Size markets using narratives, not numbers when I realized his point is a lot like a point I like to make about patents: good to have, but not to believe in On sizing new markets, with startups looking for investors, Chris says: The only way to understand and predict large... Read More »