Calculating the Economic Value of a Patent
Due Diligence for Patents – The value of an invention is proportional to the ECONOMIC impact it has on a product or market. The economic value of an invention is notoriously hard to estimate, but such analysis can be used to compare different inventions to stack rank the inventions – or to highlight the advantages/disadvantages…
Read MoreMapping an Invention to Competitor’s Products
Due Diligence for Patents – Comparing Inventions to Competitor’s Products. Inventions with external business value will map to competitors or to potential outside licensees. These patents might not map directly to your products, but are assets that make your company more attractive to acquisition, and give you leverage in negotiating with a competitor. These assets…
Read MoreMapping an Invention to an Internal Product Roadmap
Due Diligence for Patents – Comparing your invention to an internal product roadmap. Inventions with internal business value will map to your internal product roadmap. These patents are used to protect your products from direct copying and create a defensible space for you to operate. There are two main factors to consider for this analysis:…
Read MoreHow to Finance Getting a Patent?
You can get financing for your patent through BlueIron before you raise money. Entrepreneurs are caught between a rock and a hard place: they need money to get proper patent protection, but they need patent protection to start raising money. What do you do? BlueIronIP finances getting your patent – while you are raising money.…
Read MoreAngel Funding Through BlueIron
BlueIron acts as an angel investor, co-investing in your company. The big difference: BlueIron does not dilute your shares. BlueIron invests, on average, $40,000 for each patent your company has. If you do 5 patents, BlueIron will invest about $200,000. If you have 10 patents, BlueIron invests about $400,000. BlueIron’s investment goes into assets that…
Read MoreWhat is the cost of a cheap patent?
What is the cost of a cheap patent? It turns out to be very expensive. Some startup companies do not want to spend much money on patents, so they get the lowest cost provider for IP services. The result: a cheap patent. A cheap patent that might not have the proper claim scope to protect…
Read MorePatent Rejection – What it takes to get a patent issued
Your patent will typically be rejected by the examiner. Do not worry. The back-and-forth process between the examiner and applicant is a necessary part of getting a strong patent allowed. We want the examiner to fully understand the invention and do a competent job of searching. If the examiner does a poor job, your patent…
Read MoreHow much does a patent cost?
A typical US patent cost is over $60,000. This is according to the American Intellectual Property Legal Association bi-annual survey. This is the average patent cost across the US for a patent on a “high technology” invention, and your mileage may vary. The patent costs are roughly half drafting (“preparation”) and prosecution. Preparation includes everything…
Read MoreConsidering Constraints When Evaluating Patentable Ideas
When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Every invention has a set of constraints, and it is imperative to uncover and evaluate them when considering patenting. This applies to an inventor or business manager who is trying to ferret out ideas contained in a new product as well as the…
Read MoreA good patent is easy to read
A good patent is easy to read. If you can’t understand your patent application, neither can the patent examiner. Many people tell me that they did not understand their patent application because their attorney used “legalese”. Some even joke that it was so dense that they did not even know if their invention was in…
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