I'm pretty mixed on patents. I understand that if a company invests huge resources into discovering something, it is unfair for someone else to simply piggyback and copy it (but I think companies should make money from execution and service, not ideas). I understand there is societal benefit to sharing inventions (but I think the current system doesn't accomplish that since it's impossible to keep up with the multitude of patents granted and in-progress).

I believe that many of the lawsuits around software patents are frivolous (and many of the duplicating/overlapping patents shouldn't have been granted in the first place), so the whole situation is a mess.

Too many people still pay attention to "patent portfolios" (with quantity often more important than quality), and that attitude causes difficulties for entrepreneurs wondering if they should spend their time and money collecting [often useless] patents simply to show off.

Also, the recent law change that gives priority for patentability to those who file first instead of those who invent first requires filing patents immediately upon thinking of an idea, which is costly and sort of ridiculous/impossible for everyday people or entrepreneurs to do (and incentivizes patent trolls).

I heard an interesting session last week at UCLA Anderson by an accomplished patent attorney, Todd Miller. It was generally on tips for entrepreneurs (and less on controversial issues like should there be patents or how the system should be reformed). Below are my main notes and takeaways. What do you guys think about the issues I've raised above?

Tip 1: Work backwards.

• First figure out your business goals and strategy.
• Then think about if/how IP fits into that.
• Most money spent on IP is inappropriate.

Tip 2: Be flexible.

• You will have to pivot your business.
  
• Smart while being lean: Use an omnibus patent application (put all ideas in one application to save money and time).

Tip 3: Basics of IP

• Many patents not valuable because protection is too limited.
  
• Patent infringement requires each element listed in a claim.
  
• Use Google Scholar and Google Patents to check before you file.
• Trade secrets protect business info.
  
• Trademarks protect source of idea.
  
• Patents protect idea.
  
• Copyright protects expression of idea.
  
• Requirements for patent: novelty, usefulness, non-obviousness
  
• Claims at end are the actual protection.
  
• Use the USPTO website.
• In trademark, define description of goods as broadly as possible.
• Trick: File patent in Korea (if green tech, it's expedited to 6 months); then file in US and bypass the line.
• Another good search engine: prior-ip.com
  
• Search for your idea and find clusters of other patents and ideas

Tip 4: Avoid common mistakes

• Public dissemination (and discussion with anyone or public release in talk or website) kills patentability in most of world besides US (like Europe)
  
• Prior employer: invention might belong technically to prior employer (check your employment contract)
  
• Licensing terms: don't license out all IP early at bad terms; avoid "most favored nation" clauses in licenses if you can
  
• Chain of title: anyone who works for you must sign agreement that IP belongs to you

This quarter, I'm lucky to be taking a class taught by Jim Stengel, the former Global Marketing Officer of P&G (the "UCLA CMO Experience"). I wrote about this class in my admissions essay, and I'm excited about finally experiencing it.

Below are my main takeaways from this week's readings and lecture.

• Firms of Endearment
  
• It's not share of wallet anymore; it's share of heart
  
• Freeman: customers are best served by companies that enjoy good relationships with all their stakeholders-employees, suppliers, the communities in which they operate, and of course, their stockholders (SRM = stakeholder relationship management)
  
• Aging population => search for meaning in life
  
• Characteristics: Endearing companies are enduring companies; Align interests of stakeholder groups; Executive salaries are modest; Open door policy at executive level; Greater employee compensation; More employee training; Lower turnover; Employees empowered to ensure customers satisfied; Hire people who are passionate about company and products; Humanize the company experience; Genuine passion for customers; Lower marketing costs and higher customer satisfaction and retention; Suppliers as partners; Honor spirit of laws; Corporate culture treated as greatest asset
• An increasing number of companies are behaving in ways that mirror the growing influence of self-actualization needs and processes that derive from our aging society.
• Effective communication: 4 principles: Principle 1: Establish a Positive Relationship (or Reinforce an Existing One) Before Getting Down to Business; Principle 2: Show Willingness to Be Vulnerable; Principle 3: Foster Reciprocal Empathy, Whereby Stakeholders Reciprocate the Company's Empathy; Principle 4: Conduct Conversations with Genuine Reciprocity
• Ideals as the ultimate growth driver
• Ideal: A business’s essential reason for being, the higher-order benefit it brings to the world; the factor connecting the core beliefs of the people inside a business with the fundamental human values of the people they serve; Not social responsibility or altruism, but a program for profit and growth based on improving people’s lives.
• Discover a brand ideal of improving people’s lives in one of five fi elds of fundamental human values.
• Build organizational culture around the brand ideal.
• Communicate the brand ideal to engage employees and customers.
  
• Deliver a near-ideal customer experience.
  
• Evaluate progress and people against the brand ideal.
  
• Coke is a happiness brand.
  
• Steve Jobs was one of the top 3 business people ever, and he was a marketer.
  
• Pampers: instead of focusing on product function, focus on what mothers actually care about
• If your ideal is high enough, it’s universal, and you just need to find a way to bring it to life around the world.
• Goal of brand: strong relationships which lead to strong loyalty
• Take what works for you in building a human relationship, and use that to build your business.
• Hardwire relationships into your business
• Marketing influences life, and life influences marketing
• 5 ideals fields of fundamental human values: joy, connect, explore, pride, impact
• Build your culture around your ideal
• Brand as culture, culture as brand
  
• Every communication is about the ideal

In Steve Jobs' bio, it said he read Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda every year. So I figured there must be something to it. (I had also heard of the book several times from other yogis and figured I would give it a try.)

The book was slow to start (and sometimes included way too much detail), and I had trouble getting used to the writing style for a while. I also didn't really understand the overall point or trajectory of the work. Then, part of the way through, I began to enjoy it, and I noticed more and more pearls of wisdom on the pages.

The book is about religion, but it's also not about religion. It's about faith and spirituality and the common one-ness uniting everyone, and I like those ideas. (The book is not about doing yoga sports exercises. It's about meditation and mind control, some of the most difficult and rewarding activities a human can apparently engage in.) The book featured many accounts of supernatural episodes (visions, reincarnations, levitation, and teleportation); those didn't sit well with me, but I will tolerate it as there's enough good elements in the book ignoring the supernatural events.

After reading the book, I'm wondering what parts of it appealed most to Jobs. Meditation? Spirituality?

Below are my notes. I apologize for butchering the spellings of many of the people and places mentioned in the book; I was listening to the audio version (which again unfortunately but understandably featured a reader with an English accent).

Ch. 1: My parents and early life

• Bengali
  
• Life as infant
  
• Born 1/5/1893 near Himalayas
  
• Kshatriya caste parents
  
• Aversion of instant acceptance
  
• Due reflection
  
• Recreation in spiritual practices
  
• No luxuries
  
• No pursuit of money
  
• Started bank but didn't want shares in it
  
• Man arrives penniless and departs same way
  
• Magic power of man's words spoken confidently
  
• Guru photo 
  

Ch. 2: Mothers' death and amulet

• Saw vision of mother dying and was true
  
• Powerfully drawn to Himalayas where yogis and swamis lived from vision
  
• Guru told his mom he would be yogi and bring souls to light
  
• Magical amulet materialized for mom who gave it to son
  

Ch. 3: The saint with 2 bodies

• Second pension from divine of peace
  
• Story of transportation/2 bodies of swami
  
• Yogi Lahiri Mahasaya
  

Ch. 4: Interrupted flight to Himalayas

• Escape failed
  
• Got tutor at home
  
• Deep meditation
  
• Learned Sanskrit
  
• Kriya yoga
  
• Magic healing
  

Ch. 5: Perfume saint

• Perfume magic
  
• Electrons and protons manipulated by prana lifetrons
  

Ch. 6: Tiger swami

• Fought tigers with hands
  
• Mind and determination control body
  
• Tamer of wild passions
  

Ch. 7: Levitating saint

• Only true way to know divine is love
  

Ch. 8: Indians great scientist JC Bose

• Botany and physics research
  
• Uniform plan links all life
  

Ch. 9: The blissful devotee

• Classroom boredom
  

Ch. 10: I meet my master

• Unprepared for school finals
  
• Finished school and ready to leave home to seek divine
  
• Had to detach from family
  
• Finally met guru
  
• Had to leave ashram
  

Ch. 11: Two penniless boys

• Passed tests to show faith in divine
  
• Went without money, found people who provided for him
  

Ch. 12: Years in my master's hermitage

• Guru told him to get university degree so would be more accepted in future by westerners
  
• Vegetarian
  
• Morning strolls with guru
  
• Be comfortable within your purse
  
• Sri Yukteswar
  
• Yogic trance with no vital signs
  
• Super conscious state
  
• Mosquitos: just change consciousness and will not bite
  
• Thoughts heal, placebo
  
• Every natural passion can be mastered
  

Ch. 13: A sleepless saint

• Thought would have to go to Himalayas to study
  
• Guru told him does not need to do so
  
• What one does not find within cannot be found outside
  

Ch. 14: An experience in cosmic consciousness

• Cosmic vision of connection to all life
  
• Soul must have cosmic reach while body does daily mundane work
  

Ch. 15: The cauliflower robbery

• Importance of music
  

Ch. 16: Outwitting the stars

• Astrology
  

Ch. 17: Sasi and the 3 sapphires

• Divine responds to urgent prayers
  
• Astrological bangles
  

Ch. 18: A Mohammedan wonder worker

Ch. 19: My master

• Teleportation
  

Ch. 20: We do not visit Kashmir

• Got sick when wanted to go to Himalayas
  

Ch. 21: We visit Kashmir

• Guru finally blesses him to go to Himalayas
  
• Physical transfer of disease to cure others
  
• Lots of mentions and comparisons to Jesus
  

Ch. 22: The heart of the stone age

• Reformed brother in law through example of spiritual miracle
  

Ch. 23: University degree

• Little time for study
  
• Repeatedly doubted divine and then was saved
  
• Received degree
  

Ch. 24: I become monk of swami order

• Guru finally allowed him to join order
  
• Selected new name
  
• Yoga and swami orthogonal
  
• Yoga is science of mind control
  
• Patanjali Yoga Sutras
  
• Eightfold path
  
• Yama: moral
  
• Viyama: religious
  
• Asana: posture
  
• Pranayama: breath
  
• Pratyahara: withdraw from external
  
• Dharana: concentration
  
• Dhyana: meditation
  
• Samadhi: super conscious experience
  
• Yoga ok for worldly people
  
• Hatha yoga just one branch
  

Ch. 25: Brother and sister

• Brother died and he felt sad
  
• He and his guru healed sister
  

Ch. 26: Science of Kriya yoga

• Cause and effect
  
• Rejuvenates body
  
• Transmute cells into energy to teleport
  
• Christ used it
  
• Life force control
  
• Neutralize lungs and current
  
• Om sound to concentrate / Amen
• Life force controlled by breath action
  

Ch. 27: Founding yoga school

• Man must have some family, either wife or school
  
• So founded school
  
• Class instruction outdoors
  
• Yoga and agriculture
  
• True development of body and mind
  
• Death doesn't end all
  
• Unattachment: let dead move on to higher role
  

Ch. 28: Reborn and discovered

• Relocated reborn child
  

Ch. 29: Compare schools

• Visited other school
  
• Also outdoors, child's natural setting
  
• All learn yoga concentration skill
  

Ch. 30: The art of miracles

• Maya world of illusion
  
• Relativity
  
• Unified field theory
  
• Light
  
• Duality of nature
  
• Light speed only world constant
  
• Matter energy duality
  
• All matter light, yogi can manipulate
  
• Motion pictures directed by people like yogis can direct real light and matter
  
• Miracles are just natural to masters
  
• Everything is a miracle
  

Ch. 31: Interview with sacred mother

• Wife of Lahiri Mahasaya
  
• Levitation in lotus pose
  

Ch. 32: Rama is raised from the death

• Account needed in west of Lahiri Mahasaya
  

Ch. 33: Babaji Christ of India

• Guru of LM
  
• Avatar: body free from material bondage
  

Ch. 34: Materializing a palace In the Himalayas

• Spiritual enlightenment comes to worldly people who still fulfill civic responsibilities
  

Ch. 35: Christ like life of LM

• Life of balance
  
• Kriya initiation to worldly
  

Ch. 36: Babaji's interst in the West

• Saint told author to write book equalizing Christian and Indian beliefs
  
• LM reincarnated
  

Ch. 37: I go to America

• 2 legged newspaper (word of mouth)
  
• Invited to speak at conference in Boston
  
• Chosen to spread message of Kriya yoga to West
  
• Meant to unite nations under one holy father
  
• Lectured throughout America
  
• Started Self-Realization Fellowship at Mount Washington in LA
  
• Spent 15 years in America 
  

Ch. 38: Luther Burbank

• Plant breeding from talking to plants and love
  

Ch. 39: Therese Neumann

• Eager to meet saint in Germany
  
• Saint who lived without food
  
• Stigmata wounds on hands
  
• Weekly trance of Christ's Passion
  
• Visited holy sites of Europe
  

Ch. 40: I return to India

• Return to see guru
  
• Created permanently endowed school
  
• Free hospital
  

Ch. 41: An idyl in south India

• Wanted to have best exchange between East and West
  

Ch. 42: Last days with my guru

Ch. 43: Resurrection of Sri Yukteswar

• Went to be prophet of astral planet
  
• Detailed description of astral beings and logistics
  
• Anything can be created from thought like we create any image on TV
  

Ch. 44: With Gandhi

• Weekly day of silence to devote to correspondence and spirituality
  
• Husband as guru of wife
  
• Worship of all religions equally
  
• Taught yoga to Gandhi
  
• Nonviolence
  
• Forgiveness is holiness
  

Ch. 45: The Bengali joy-permeated mother

Ch. 46: The woman who never eats

• Was at first over-eater
• Stopped eating at age 12
  
• Lives by external light
  
• No bodily excretions
  
• Uses Kriya breathing technique 
  

Ch. 47: I return to the West

• Lecture in London
  
• Christmas mediation in LA
  

Ch. 48: Encinitas California hermitage

• Retreat by the ocean
  

Ch. 49: The years 1940-51

• East West magazine
  
• Hollywood temple
  
• Translated New Testament and Bhagavad Gita
  
• Saw vision of Jesus
  
• Kriya yoga: breath as key to world and spirit
  
• Leave a few mysteries to explore in eternity
  

Afterword

• After died, his body did not decay (in mortuary records)
  
• One of India's great saints