--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Today the patent office is obsolete. You…" description: "\"Today the patent office is obsolete. You just take whatever you do, tool up, and start production for six months. At the end of the six months you put ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c3/paul-laffoley-7077_computer_today-the-patent-office-is-obsolete-you_3047676.jpg" --- # Today the patent office is obsolete. You just take… ![“Today the patent office is obsolete. You just take whatever you do, tool up, and start production for six months. At the end of the six months you put the data on all the computer inputs all over the world and you got your business. You can make all your money, and then people can steal it, but by…” quote by Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c3/paul-laffoley-7077_computer_today-the-patent-office-is-obsolete-you_3047676.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c3/paul-laffoley-7077_computer_today-the-patent-office-is-obsolete-you_3047676.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c3/paul-laffoley-7077_computer_today-the-patent-office-is-obsolete-you_3047676.jpg) > “Today the patent office is obsolete. You just take whatever you do, tool up, and start production for six months. At the end of the six months you put the data on all the computer inputs all over the world and you got your business. You can make all your money, and then people can steal it, but by then it doesn't matter because you've made the money up front and you avoid wasting money in lawsuits. \[My father\] had all these kinds of ideas years ahead of others.” [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The patent system is outdated; rapid production and early market entry can bypass legal battles and secure profit. **In simple terms:** Fast execution beats slow legal processes. Key Takeaway Launch quickly, profit before lawsuits. Themes business innovation patents Mood strategic pragmatic Type business advisory When to use this quote - startup launch - product development - market entry Key Concepts first‑mover advantage risk management Questions to Reflect On - How can innovators protect ideas without patents? - What ethical concerns arise from bypassing legal safeguards? A Different Perspective Legal risks still exist for infringement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Obsolete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsolete/) [Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office/) [Patents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patents/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Tools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tools/) [Wasting money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasting-money/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Don't stop at the first no. You have to be a risk taker. If there weren't room for creativity, the patent office would close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbi-fields/don-t-stop-at-the-first-no-you-have-to-be-a-risk-taker-if-there-weren/) [Debbi Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbi-fields/) > [Great minds don't think alike. If they did, the Patent Office would only have about fifty inventions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/great-minds-don-t-think-alike-if-they-did-the-patent-office-would/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [If you've worked in a factory, and you haven't learned how to do something else, you're obsolete. That's just nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/if-you-ve-worked-in-a-factory-and-you-haven-t-learned-how-to-do/) [RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/) > [There is a patent office at the seat of government of the universe, whose managers are as much interested in the dispersion of seeds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/there-is-a-patent-office-at-the-seat-of-government-of-the-universe/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Lincoln said that the Patent Office adds the flame of interest to the light of creativity. And that is why we need to improve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-inslee/lincoln-said-that-the-patent-office-adds-the-flame-of-interest-to-the/) [Jay Inslee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-inslee/) > [That reminds me to remark, in passing, that the very first official thing I did, in my administration-and it was on the first day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/that-reminds-me-to-remark-in-passing-that-the-very-first-official/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A country without a patent office and good patent laws is just a crab, and can't travel any way but sideways and backways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-country-without-a-patent-office-and-good-patent-laws-is-just-a-crab/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“When my parents passed on, and we read their wills, we discovered something we didn’t at all expect, especially from our devoutly Catholic mother:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/when-my-parents-passed-on-and-we-read-their-wills-we-discovered/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [Unfortunately, corruption is widespread in government agencies and public enterprises. Our political system promotes nepotism and wasting money. This has undermined our legal system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-papandreou/unfortunately-corruption-is-widespread-in-government-agencies-and-2/) [George Papandreou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-papandreou/) > [“I love the treat and pleasure of eating when it becomes an act of focused giving and sharing...Wasting money and appetite on bad food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-knisley/i-love-the-treat-and-pleasure-of-eating-when-it-becomes-an-act-of/) Lucy Knisley > [I talked with people starting up in the middle of the recession and employees, and supplies and office space were cheap. As far as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jj-ramberg/i-talked-with-people-starting-up-in-the-middle-of-the-recession-and/) [JJ Ramberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jj-ramberg/) > [“If I skipped class, I would feel like I was wasting money. If I went to class, I would know I was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-mihajlich/if-i-skipped-class-i-would-feel-like-i-was-wasting-money-if-i-went-to/) [Lucy Mihajlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-mihajlich/) > [If you're seeing a psychiatrist, you're wasting money because all you've got to do is get on a plane, get on a subway tomorrow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/if-you-re-seeing-a-psychiatrist-you-re-wasting-money-because-all-you/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [“Many people object to “wasting money in space” yet have no idea how much is actually spent on space exploration. The CSA’s budget, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/many-people-object-to-wasting-money-in-space-yet-have-no-idea-how/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [I'm not interested in wasting money on a project.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-tucci/i-m-not-interested-in-wasting-money-on-a-project/) [Stanley Tucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-tucci/) ## More by Paul Laffoley > [ I first heard of \[Orfeo Angelucci\] from Giuseppe Conti who gave me some books by him. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/i-first-heard-of-orfeo-angelucci-from-giuseppe-conti-who-gave-me-some/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [ The whole thing that Dante \[Alighieri\] did was summed up in the medieval world. It's like St. Thomas Aquinas, the Summa Theologica. He didn't… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/the-whole-thing-that-dante-alighieri-did-was-summed-up-in-the/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [ You know, Mick Jagger's "Sympathy for the Devil." I think it was inspired by that \[H.P.Lovecraft stories\]. You don't know who's reading what, you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/you-know-mick-jagger-s-sympathy-for-the-devil-i-think-it-was-inspired/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [ At 15 \[my father\] revolted against his father like any teenager, and said, "I'm out of here! What are you doing to me?" He… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/at-15-my-father-revolted-against-his-father-like-any-teenager-and/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [At one time in the mid-'70s I became the president of the Boston-Cambridge chapter of the World Future Society. Because I'd been in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/at-one-time-in-the-mid-70s-i-became-the-president-of-the-boston/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [ The Babson Institute, which is now an actual university, was started by this guy \[my father\] who also had a problem with believing in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/the-babson-institute-which-is-now-an-actual-university-was-started-by/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [As a kid, I was getting information in areas that no one else was getting. I think that was one of the reasons my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/as-a-kid-i-was-getting-information-in-areas-that-no-one-else-was/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [ Stephen Hawking won \[Babson Institute competition \] one year with his black hole stuff. It's keeping an open mind on whether gravity exists or… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/stephen-hawking-won-babson-institute-competition-one-year-with-his/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [I would say that it's probably impossible for a lot of people to even think what H.P. Lovecraft's theological state was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/i-would-say-that-it-s-probably-impossible-for-a-lot-of-people-to-even/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [My father was an extremely brilliant man. I consider him a genius, and so he probably could have joined Mensa. But why? I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/my-father-was-an-extremely-brilliant-man-i-consider-him-a-genius-and/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [ \[My father\] was always saying I'd end up like my grandfather. Okay. My grandfather was an architect, I'm an architect. It's true, certain characteristics… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/my-father-was-always-saying-i-d-end-up-like-my-grandfather-okay-my/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [ From the time of Dante \[Alighieri\], when you have the Ptolemaic universe, you had God on the outside like a hypersphere, and then in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/from-the-time-of-dante-alighieri-when-you-have-the-ptolemaic-universe/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [ Walter C. Wright has a more cogent presentation than my father did about \[gravity\] being a push. But he had the same basic belief,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/walter-c-wright-has-a-more-cogent-presentation-than-my-father-did/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [ I would say \[to my father\], "Why don't you actually take some courses in physics instead of saying \[you are not believing in gravity\]?"… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/i-would-say-to-my-father-why-don-t-you-actually-take-some-courses-in/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [ I began to analyze the movie \[The Day the Earth Stood Still\] and said it was really made out of these two characters \[Nikola… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/i-began-to-analyze-the-movie-the-day-the-earth-stood-still-and-said/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) [Explore all 95 Paul Laffoley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) ## More Computer quotes > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/) Jen-Hsun Huang > [It's interesting that the greatest minds of computer science, the founding fathers, like Alan Turing and Claude Shannon and Norbert Wiener, they all looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/it-s-interesting-that-the-greatest-minds-of-computer-science-the/) [Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/) > [One of our big goals in search is to make search that really understands exactly what you want, understands everything in the world. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-page/one-of-our-big-goals-in-search-is-to-make-search-that-really/) [Larry Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-page/) > [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [I'm from the South, so I'm very old-fashioned and I'm not very computer savvy at all, but I'm getting it. I understand that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-harmon/i-m-from-the-south-so-i-m-very-old-fashioned-and-i-m-not-very/) [Angie Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-harmon/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [A little bit more than 50% of what you see on screen is handcrafted and the other 50% was about emulating these textures on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-abreu/a-little-bit-more-than-50-of-what-you-see-on-screen-is-handcrafted/) [Alex Abreu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-abreu/) > [Well I'm trying to think what I put in... I think I put in 'why?' to see if I'd confuse the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/well-i-m-trying-to-think-what-i-put-in-i-think-i-put-in-why-to-see-if/) [Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/) > [Our brains are great at knowing what to forget. We actually have to teach computers to do the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/our-brains-are-great-at-knowing-what-to-forget-we-actually-have-to/) [Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/) > [Nor would anybody suspect. If was one thing all people took for granted, was conviction that if you feed honest figures into a computer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/nor-would-anybody-suspect-if-was-one-thing-all-people-took-for/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [In nine months, a group of children left alone with a computer in any language will reach the same standard as an office secretary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugata-mitra/in-nine-months-a-group-of-children-left-alone-with-a-computer-in-any/) [Sugata Mitra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugata-mitra/) > [Why do you do what you do? Why do you dress the way you dress?Why do you do what you do with your time?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-conway/why-do-you-do-what-you-do-why-do-you-dress-the-way-you-dress-why-do/) [Tim Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-conway/) > [Yeah, I'm a geek. I read sci-fi and I watch sci-fi films. I love my computer and I love to fix it. I'm a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-benson/yeah-i-m-a-geek-i-read-sci-fi-and-i-watch-sci-fi-films-i-love-my/) [Amber Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-benson/) [Browse all 3,924 Computer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Today the patent office is obsolete. You just take whatever you do, tool up, and start production for six months. At the end of the six months you put the data on all the computer inputs all over the world and you got your business. You can make all your money, and then people can steal it, but by then it doesn't matter because you've made the money up front and you avoid wasting money in lawsuits. 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