Comments on Triaging My Way To Financial Success: My Short-term Plan VIII:

I generally like patents, but they are increasingl...

2008-10-16T18:41:00.000-04:00

I generally like patents, but they are increasingly rare and often challenged with a company at the mercy of a court.

I really like supply chain management and the advantages it provides a company who can execute on a large scale those efficiencies.

A sustainable competitive advantage is very rare as a competitive advantage often moves in a cyclical pattern. If you read my stock analyses or this series (http://www.nurseb911.com/2007/09/diamond-in-rough-part-i.html) I think you'll find some of your answers there.

Ah, I gotcha. It's called "Evergreening," I believ...

2008-10-16T15:04:00.000-04:00

Ah, I gotcha. It's called "Evergreening," I believe? Though technically the protection is on another invention, and also its not possible to predict whether the "extension" will be passed.

However, I like your thinking - is there any particular competitive advantage that a public company has that you are focusing on?

Its not nitpicking Anon - I should have explained ...

2008-10-15T17:55:00.000-04:00

Its not nitpicking Anon - I should have explained it better.

There are cases within the last 5 years where patents (on financial products) have been obtained for 30 year periods.

Frequently in industry a company will seek to protect a patent further by applying for secondary or accessory patents on a product/process after 10 years so that the process/product is extended.

While unethical many businesses continue to pursue this type of patent protection by bringing into question the authenticity of the original patent. PFE attempted this some years ago with Lipitor as they sought to extend their patent period.

Just nitpicking, but how can a company's patent ex...

2008-10-15T15:45:00.000-04:00

Just nitpicking, but how can a company's patent expire in 30 years? Patent protection is always 20 years, unless you know a trick?