Cost of the fees can be $10k+. Typically one has no $$$ to actually execute and enforce a patent. It looks like to have a startup with IP protected by some legal paper, but realistically it's useless. Do patents even increase the valuation?<p>In other words: is it still worth to bother about thinking about patenting in a startup?
They never did.<p>If you use the definition of a startup as "still searching for a business model" and not "any company of any age and size as long as it's involved in technology", then there's no reason for them to apply for a patent.<p>By the above definition, startups haven't yet figured out what is their exact product, what is their business model etc. There's nothing there to protect with patents yet.<p>And what also follows, they're not successful yet so no-one will sue them for patent infringement. Lawsuits are about money. If there's no money to extract, there's no point in suing.
Old world companies usually/commonly avoided patents, as they just spelt things out for the competition (ie, showed the competition how to copy them). Most things worth knowing were held as trade secrets.<p>Having a patent could easily be a good marketing strategy, but I'm not sure if it's as relevant today (I'm saying I don't know not that it isn't relevant).