Patents and Market Niches

Entrepreneurs want to solve problems. Knock-off manufacturers want to make money. The market space where the knock-off manufacturer sees opportunity is the space where the entrepreneur is blinded by his own vision. The entrepreneur's vision is often for a complete solution to a given problem. He is unable to see the potential demand for a lower cost product that solves only part of a problem, or is of lower quality. The knock-off manufacturer clearly sees this market niche. The entrepreneur seeks patents for his ideas ostensibly to protect his intellectual property. In fact, he often uses the patent to keep other manufacturers out of a market space he is unable to serve.