Qualcast

"v) Constant revolution Not an imprecation to espouse a Marxist-Leninist theory of history but constantly to rethink and improve every aspect and function, never being satisfied until you have solved every problem. Do that, and you can be sure of consistently and reliably outperforming the opposition. The thing about solving functional problems at every level, and to as high a degree of perfection as possible, is not only that it will result in greater consumer satisfaction, but that it will lead to further patents. And further patents are crucial. A patent only lasts for twenty years, and that is not as long as it sounds. Look at the way Qualcast, and everyone else, pounced on the flymower as soon as Flymo's patent expired. Now if I had stopped with my initial invention I might be in a similar sort of danger. But by continuing to improve my technology over that time, I have now accumulated over 100 different patents on the machine, many of them cyclonic improvement patents, which will lengthen indefinitely our period of exclusivity. The only way to keep possession of your invention is to keep strengthening it."