What Is A Patent Worth?

[y_p_w]

I made nothing on my ester lubricant patents. Two of them made millions for my company, but being that I was employed at the time, I had to sign them over to the company for $1. I never even got the $1!

I've never gotten a patent (thought of it once but never did) although many of my coworkers did. Back then I was reading about the process, and the preference was for proof of invention including notebooks written in ink, although one coworker with a patent said that she submitted her notes written in pencil.

I do recall reading about small bonuses for employees awarded a patent. Nothing huge - maybe $500 to $1200. And they would typically have a plaque made with the company name and a description of the patent.

 

[PandaBear]

A patent by a small startup with no buyer likely worth not much alone. The best case is to sell it or license it to a big company for a penny per several hundred or thousand units sold, or sell it outright. If you have a few thousand of these patents and can start suing people left and right then it is worth something.

Small bonus that people get for working at a company and filed a patent or trade secret is usually $500-1500, plus a steak dinner in a nice hotel. Sometimes you are told it will go on your negative performance review if you can't file one a year, and that can be kind of scary.