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Comment by Jabbles | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How much (if at all) does your employer reward you for filing a patent?

I believe the norm is a few thousand dollars, which makes this valuation even more sickening. I hate the stifling nature of the current US patent laws, and hate the idea of spending my time pretending to be a lawyer rather than an engineer. But, if a patent is so valuable, it's disappointing if a company does not reward the "inventor" proportionately.

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Why pick on patents? I can't think of any employer who rewards workers "proportionately" unless they are on direct commission.

I was one of a small group of engineers that developed a product that has earned the company many millions of revenue. "All" I get is a salary.

I single handedly coded something that had a direct saving to the company of $3 million. "All" I got was a salary.

At least if I'm awarded a patent, I get a few hundred $$$ out of it.

And slowly the cracks begin to show in this system.

Sometimes you get a percent of profit for the patented applications but it is usually a lower percent (think 1-7%) and I don't know how it would factor in a sale like this.

This is more for non-software patents though

At the places I've worked it doesn't make a difference. You get paid for patent approvals (and at one place, for filings and approvals). Doesn't matter what the patent is for: software, electronics, mechanical, chemistry...

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