Ask HN: Is it valuable to have a patent as R&D/SDE Engineer?

4 points by _____bee 5 years ago | 3 comments

Hello,

I work as a research engineer in R&D, I have heard polarized opinions about "having/working on patents" in my small circle, and I would like to hear opinions of other people in the industry. Is it valuable to have "patents" in someone's resume?. How is it comparable to having a paper in ML/AI conference?.

The general public's perception of patents is different than reality. In many cases, it is harder to write a paper and make it to top-tier conferences than to write a patent. However, it can show that the author is able to think out of the box, enhance existing products, and design systems/solutions.

Another argument I have heard is about "gate-keeping science", it can be seen as a blocker for others as well.

What is the opinion of HN?

2rsf 5 years ago |

For your resume? not so much, although it adds a touch of sophistication.

I've worked for a company that makes a high percentage of its income from patents, they actively encourage people to file patents by giving bonuses and allowing free time for that. The strategy behind it is that each patent by itself is meaningless and can be objected to, but together they can circle around an opponent and block them.

Most of the patents I have seen were naive to stupid, even the "strong" ones were small variations to well known engineering solutions.

vsskanth 5 years ago |

I have a bunch of patents. They look cool in a resume but not really a big deal unless they are vital to a very visible product.

detaro 5 years ago | |

Agreed. If it's something important, sure, otherwise patents listed mostly suggest "worked for a company that encouraged filing patents".