With Friends Like This, Who Needs Enemies?
I spent several hours today reviewing a patent application for a software application that I was the lead architect and developer of. As I read what the attorney had prepared I couldn’t help but notice the unique language that you get when you combine the geek speak that I provided to the lawyer with the legal speak that he added while composing the patent application. It resulted in a pretty dry document to say the least!
The most significant revelation that I had while reviewing the document was the reasoning behind submitting it in the first place. Most patent applications are intended to protect intellectual capital of an organization from competitors. The likelihood of a competitor stealing the ideas that were trying to protect in this patent application is slim to say the least. The real reason we submitted a patent application is to protect the jobs of my team of engineers and developers from being outsourced. The rationale used for submitting a patent application by my manager is very simple. One of the evaluation criteria for outsourcing is if the software is protected by a patent then the work cannot be outsourced. So in essence the reason we are filing the patent is to help protect our jobs from being eliminated by our own employer. Does anyone see the problem with this?
If not then let me explain. The work of my team is not evaluated on its own merit. Instead, this group of talented developers is looked at simply as resources that can be replaced by cheaper developers. Forget the fact that we designed and developed one of the most innovative applications in the world. We have to protect ourselves from our own employer who is supposed to be on our side! Who can you trust?
Isn’t it ironic in corporate