Going from a Heavy IP World (patent everything!) to an Open Hardware World

As a company that has developed many products and licensed them for royalty, Pensa uses a business model centered around intellectual property. Recently, however, we developed the DIWire CNC wire bender and, as an experiment, decided to open source the code and hardware. The experience has been great, with very useful community feedback, lower costs from not having to patent and defend IP, and even interest in selling the product. Best of all, in certain cases for Pensa, open source has proven to be a better business model, and it may actually make more money than the traditional IP route. We will compare the two methods and share insights from our past and recent experiences.

About Marco Perry
Marco Perry is a founder of Pensa, a Brooklyn NY consultancy that focuses on product strategy, design, development and invention. Marco has over 20 years experience inventing, designing and engineering just about everything from diapers to lab equipment to vending machines. He has spoken at a national conferences, tradeshows, and universities on innovation and the design process. He has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University and a Masters of Industrial Design from Pratt Institute.