Is Your Patent Examiner Awful? One of the Patent Myths
The Myth that the Patent Examiner does not understand your invention. One of the myths that is perpetuated by the patent bar is that the examiners somehow do not understand your invention. The truth is that the examination process is far better than most patent attorneys will admit, and that is part of why startups…
Read MoreValuable patents solve contradictions
Amazon’s One-Click patent is the epitome of “non-obviousness” Inventions are not obvious – they have to solve some kind of contradiction. This idea holds true for businesses. Startups that can solve a contradiction in the market have a particular advantage – and so do patents. One of the most talked-about inventions 10 or 15 years…
Read MoreStartup Funding: Apply for BlueIron Non-Dilutive Funding
BlueIron provides non-dilutive startup funding. BlueIron provides $60K or more non-dilutive startup funding for companies with great inventions. Our model is to invest in the full cost of getting patents for a company, including international (PCT) filing and expediting the patent through the United States Patent and Trademark Office. We fund companies *before* angel or…
Read MoreMy first invention
My first job out of college was at McDonnell Aircraft in St. Louis. At the time, we made military fighter jets: the F-15, F-18, and Harrier AV-8B. I was assigned to a little research group exploring different ways to use thermoplastic composites. It was there that I had my first “invention.” I wrote up a…
Read MoreWhy Marketing Is More Important than Patents
Entrepreneurs have been fed this lie that the first thing they need to do is get a patent, then work on the business. This is a bad strategy. As an investor who finances IP for startups, I want some data to support the investment in patents. The best strategy is to do the marketing first,…
Read MoreVenture Capital Investments in Patent-Heavy Companies is Down Substantially
The Alliance of US Startups and Inventors for Jobs (USIJ) issued a report in July 2020 showing how Venture Capital has shied away from patent-intensive startups over most of the last two decades. This corresponds with the undermining of the US patent system through several Supreme Court cases during the period. You can get the…
Read MoreUSPTO Abandonment Rate Nearly Tripling Since COVID
Patents are being abandoned at historically high rates, pointing to a lack of confidence in the future. An updated analysis by BlueIron shows that the COVID crisis has markedly affected business’s IP strategy. A previous analysis done in March is here. The abandonment rate has shot up since COVID started, especially for Small Entities, which…
Read MoreWhy Your Patent Attorney Does Not Want Your Patent To Be Granted
There is a perverse incentive for your patent attorney to *not* get your patent allowed. It is called “money.” Clients are at the mercy of their patent attorneys. For small companies who do not have inhouse patent counsel, they outsource their patents to outside counsel who have a financial incentive to keep a patent pending…
Read MoreInventing and “Feeling It”
It is easy to think you were an inventor when you really were not. When I was an engineer at HP, I wrote up 3-4 invention disclosures before a meeting, where we were going to discuss a new product. At the meeting, I pitched a couple of the ideas *I had already submitted* for patenting. …
Read MoreAre you thinking of giving up on your patent application? Think again. Patent financing is available.
Many companies are abandoning their patent applications. In fact, the abandonment rate has tripled since the Covid-19 crisis began. However, there is specialized financing to keep your patents pending – and even build out a bigger portfolio – so you will be in a powerful position when the economy opens up again. BlueIron is the…
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