A patent is not necessary to market an invention commercially. An inventor may make, use, or sell an invention without the benefit of a patent, provided it is not covered by an existing patent currently held by another individual. If a patent is desired, an application must be made within one year from the time the invention is first commercialized, or the right to patent is lost. Patented products are not superior products. A patent only guarantees that the product is significantly different from others similar to it.
Superiority is determined by the user rather than by the inventor.
Until the invention is commercialized and in widespread use, the patent has little value. However, consider where Polaroid would be today if Dr. Edwin Land had not patented the company's products. Patent protection is only as good as the vigilance one maintains against infringers. The value of a patent lies in its offensive power, which becomes apparent when a patent holder warns a violator to discontinue the unauthorized use of the invention or risk litigation. In court proceedings, patent holders are certainly looked upon more favorably than violators.