I'm interested in starting up a project similar to Craigslist & Backpage and wanted to know if anyone has any knowledge of patents held by either company. I've done my research for both on google patents and the uspto, searching their name and names like Craig Newmark and can't find anything.
Is the entity that owns the trademark for Craigslist, so I would include that in your patent search as well. Maybe check these... I didn't feel like reading them, but they look promising...
If you idea is identical to theirs, of course you won't be able to get a patent. However, if your idea has some differences and those differences provide some nice advantages, you might consider getting your own patent. Check Website Patents for more details.... Be sure to 'like' the page if you find it useful!! Thanks