Amaroq_Starwind Posted March 20, 2019 ID:1304701 Share Posted March 20, 2019 It is no secret that companies have trade secrets. In fact, I would be more surprised if security vendors like MalwareBytes didn't have any trade secrets. But while trade secrets aim to protect a design through obfuscation, they serve no good once somebody else has already copied the design, which is where a patent comes in. However, filing a patent requires exposing details of the design. This leaves me with two questions: 1. For my own purposes (future endeavors), is it possible to get the benefits of having a patent on something while still keeping the really important stuff a trade secret? 2. Purely to satisfy my curiosity, does MalwareBytes happen to own any software patents? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gonzo Posted March 21, 2019 ID:1304770 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Yes. Patent applications contain information on methods, logic and processes, but do not contain source code. If you ever read one, its amazing that anyone can make a damned bit of sense of what they are really about. Several Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
exile360 Posted March 21, 2019 ID:1304786 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Hehe, true; there's a bit difference between the goofy patent language used to describe 'an X that does Y' vs the real nitty-gritty of how any device/software etc. actually works. It's even more vague and obscure than most marketing materials describing such things to potential users/customers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amaroq_Starwind Posted March 21, 2019 Author ID:1304825 Share Posted March 21, 2019 So what Gonzo is saying... Is that if I had a really good idea (a security technique) that could cause a lot of trouble if the information got into the wrong hands (ie, Malware devs), I could trust them to keep it safe from prying eyes (other companies, rogue governments, and Malware devs) and/or put it into use in some form (because they have the engineers, researchers and developers, while I'm just one person). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David H. Lipman Posted March 21, 2019 ID:1304827 Share Posted March 21, 2019 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent_troll Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amaroq_Starwind Posted March 21, 2019 Author ID:1304829 Share Posted March 21, 2019 That's... Not what I'm trying to do... I'm actually against Patent/Copyright Law normally (if it were up to me, everything would be Creative Commons), but cybersecurity is a pretty big deal. There are a lot of technological innovations that could change everything, but the patents for them are being sat on by companies who aren't doing anything with them. In this particular case, though, I kind of don't want the open internet to know about my designs because... Well... What if Malware developers start using the techniques I've come up with? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gonzo Posted March 21, 2019 ID:1304839 Share Posted March 21, 2019 If you put ten years worth of work and effort into your idea and hoped that it would provide for you in the future, you would be very much in favor of patents and copyrights. You won't be able to pay your bills with good reviews. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amaroq_Starwind Posted March 22, 2019 Author ID:1304893 Share Posted March 22, 2019 True, true... Can I PM you an RTF document I wrote? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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