Blog
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Patents are Similar to Stock Market Options
Patents are an inherently risky investment and have lots of similarities to options trading. This is because they have value only when the market comes to them. At the time you purchase an option –…
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How to Find a Good Patent Attorney
How to find a good patent attorney: find two attorneys, and have each one evaluate the other attorney’s work. Here is a simple technique to find a good patent attorney: start with at least *two*…
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How to Make Your Patent Strong Against Inter Partes Reexam
Strengthen your patent against Inter Partes Reexam One of the easiest ways for infringers to challenge an issued patent is through the Inter Partes Reexam process, commonly known as IPR. To successfully challenge a patent,…
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Over-broad Patents Are No Longer A Good Thing
It used to be that “broad” patents were the best things for litigation. That is no longer the case. A patent drafting theory from 10 years ago was to draft a patent with the loosest…
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The Patent Box – Part of European Patent Reform
The United Kingdom’s Patent Box is a tax incentive to have IP protection – is it coming to America? The UK has a tax incentive called the Patent Box. In essence, profits derived from patented…
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Worthless Patents – How to Avoid the Biggest Pitfalls
Airplane wreckage on black sand beach, Iceland Worthless patent[1]s: they don’t have to be that way. Worthless patents happen for two reasons: the original invention was not selected properly and the patent was poorly prosecuted…
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Independent Inventors are a Walking Malpractice Suit
Independent inventors are terrifying for patent attorneys. As I began to learn patent law 20+ years ago, a senior attorney described independent inventors as “walking malpractice lawsuits”. His way of handing independent inventors was to…
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Why Patent Attorneys Always Suggest Getting a Patent
Patent Attorney Liability This story is not about only having a hammer and everything looks like a nail. There is more to the story. Think about the patent attorney who is meeting a new client.…
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Franchising Principles Applied to Startups
Photo by Terry Jaskiw on Unsplash Make yourself completely replaceable – not essential. I had the opportunity to visit with a franchise president who is also doing a “conventional” tech startup. I read The E-myth…
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What Do Patents Actually Cost?
How much does a patent cost[1][2]? The US average is about $60,000. There is a more detailed article on patent costs here. The patent process involves two major phases. Patent “preparation” is when the patent…