Re:My experience patenting things for Microsoft (Score 1)

First, a patent search is critical for the small inventor so he doesn't waste his money. But many can do their own searches. And most big companies DO patent searches. I do them for big companies all the time. Second, it does NOT matter if a company looks at a patent. They can get sued whether they copy the idea or not. However, knowledge of the patent can triple the damages. Some patents issue within a year, others take more than 3 years. It depends on the technology. One can build a business on a patent if the invention is good enough (and profitable enough) It has been done MANY times.