I've talked to quite a few friends with ideas and inventions that are looking for patent (protection) for their ideas. Here are a few things about the patenting system that you may not know that will illuminate this story a bit more.
Usually, these details open some eyes on the process.
1. Getting a patent is expensive, usually $10k-$20k on the low end, up to the stratosphere depending on your patent attorney.
2. Writing patents is an art. They aren't all created the same and effectiveness varies because of this...as does price.
3. It takes a long time to get a patent approved. Think waiting for that new suppressor takes along time? Add 6 months to 2-3 years to that for a patent.
4. Once you have the patent, you have to continue to pay to keep it active..that's right, you pay maintenance fees of thousands of dollars (depending on your company size), just to keep that patent viable, the same one that you just paid tens of thousands for, and waited years to see approved.
5. The patent does nothing for you unless you have the $$$ to enforce it when someone infringes upon it.
Considering these variables, it's hard to fault Mossberg for bristling when their intellectual property is ripped off.
