How to sell a software patent?

Question

Hi,
This might sound a bit mad, but true. I just found out that I have inherited a software patent for search engines, and I have no idea how to go about trying to sell it - any ideas?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Here is a site that guarantees a software sale/contract.

http://www.ultimatesoftwaresecrets.com/outsourcing/

Good luck

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Answer 2

The first thing that you need to do is have a patent attorney take a look at the patent and see whether it is something that is valuable. Not all patents are created equally. Although all issued patents are presumed valid, there are a lot of patents out there that should never have been issued due to the fact that the examiner missed prior art that could have and should have been found. This is not to through examiners under the bus, they work hard but they have limited time to work on a file so they do miss things sometimes.

If your patent is something that is valuable and there are a number of companies that are possibly infringing you might not want to sell the patent. There are some companies that will take an interest in the patent and split any licensing or litigation proceeds with you. One of the companies that does this is General Patent Corporation International. See:

http://www.patentclaim.com/

It is impossible right now to tell you whether you will be able to sell your patent, obtain any licensing royalties or derive any money from the patent. There are places online that will allow you to post patents for sale, but I would stay away from them initially. With a patent that relates to search engines you could be sitting on a gold mine. You might just as easily be sitting on a worthless piece of paper, but until you know for sure you don't want to take action.

Answer 3

Associations may be a good avenue to explore. These organizations will address many of the thoughts, questions and concerns you'll inevitably have as well as many you haven't anticipated yet. See the source box for some relevant links.

Research, research, research – this cannot be stressed enough. Read as much as you can. Here are some book titles that are relevant:

* From Patent To Profit: Secrets & Strategies For The Successful Inventor, Third Edition by Bob Dematteis
* How to License Your Million Dollar Idea: Everything You Need To Know To Turn a Simple Idea into a Million Dollar Payday, 2nd Edition by Harvey Reese
* The Inventor's Bible: How to Market and License Your Brilliant Ideas by Ronald Louis Docie
* The Complete Idiot's Guide ® to Cashing in On Your Inventions by Richard Levy

Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!

Answer 4

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