Ask HN: Patenting a software system that supports open source?

1 points by stevebmark ↗ HN
I'm working on an open source platform for building 3D content, using what I believe to be a new/clever core system design. This platform exports to open source targets, such as Unity.

I hope to make a profit off of the concept, in the admittedly very unlikely event that this platform takes off. One play is selling the tech to a graphics company, to fund my development on it.

I've been considering patenting all or part of this system, with options like: - Try to patent some or part of the system, and only use it as personal financial protection when trying to sell the product, and never enforce it any other way - Patent some specific part of the system that no one would care about, to avoid scaring off open source users

Worries: - Discouraging open source users, who might think it skeevy or unethical to have patented software (see: Unity patenting ECS) - A patent preventing/discouraging this platform from being embedded/used by other open source ecosystems.

I have no experience with software patents. I see companies value patents for their IP, and I'm curious about the patent process, and like the idea of having a patent on my CV. Should I try to patent all or part of this design, while still targeting open source?

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