Patents: Ideas vs Implementations

The cluster centers on repeated clarifications that patents protect specific implementations of ideas, not abstract ideas themselves, often distinguishing patents from copyrights.

📉 Falling 0.3x Legal
4,840
Comments
20
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#4949
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2007
18
2008
42
2009
103
2010
234
2011
414
2012
573
2013
399
2014
270
2015
243
2016
271
2017
221
2018
266
2019
257
2020
230
2021
306
2022
254
2023
344
2024
230
2025
158
2026
7

Keywords

SG PE US BN AU NZ MX VN MY IANAL patent patents patented pasta ideas idea implementation invention bank account monopoly

Sample Comments

COGlory • Mar 20, 2017 • View on HN

You can't patent an idea. You can only patent an implementation of an idea.

wb36 • Jun 10, 2018 • View on HN

You can't patent an idea, only an implementation of an idea.

rayiner • Aug 23, 2012 • View on HN

We're talking about patents not copyrights...

gaius • Aug 7, 2010 • View on HN

You can't patent an idea - only an implementation.

pfarnsworth • Jun 10, 2018 • View on HN

You can't patent ideas only specific implementation of ideas.

ghaff • Jan 14, 2023 • View on HN

It's implementations (supposedly) that are covered by patents. Ideas are not.

gnaritas • Sep 12, 2013 • View on HN

Patents don't cover ideas, they cover implementations of those ideas.

anigbrowl • Feb 27, 2025 • View on HN

Just make your own. Patents protect how something is done, not the idea of doing it.

lolc • Oct 7, 2020 • View on HN

You can't patent an idea. You can patent the implementation of it if you're specific enough.

my123 • Apr 5, 2021 • View on HN

Those are protected by patents, not copyrights.