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. The client is unsure about whether or not to get a patent on their idea. The patent attorney suggests trying…
Read MoreFranchising Principles Applied to Startups
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 Revisited years ago, and it dramatically changed my way of thinking about business. The premise of the E-myth is that the entrepreneur should *not* be essential…
Read MoreWhat Do Patents Actually Cost?
How much does a patent cost? 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 is originally drafted and filed with the patent office, and patent “prosecution” is the back and forth that happens with…
Read MoreStatistical Correlation Between Patent Ownership and Success
The more patents you own – and the better they are – the better your chances of success. France Brevets, a French sovereign investment fund, has published a report (in English) that correlates success of venture-backed startups with the patents held by the startup. As you would think the chances of success by the company…
Read MorePatent Holding Companies and Ownership Issues
BlueIron uses a conventional patent holding company structure to separate the ownership and control of a patent portfolio. In this construct, an operating company has full control of the assets, even though the patent assets are held in a separate company. The BlueIron arrangement gives the operating company full control of the assets through an…
Read MoreProblems Caused by the Attorney/Client Relationship
The attorney/client relationship is one of the most sacred and important tenants of the US legal system, but it causes weird side effects. The attorney/client relationships HURTS startup companies when it comes to patents. The attorney/client relationship can be a problem, especially in areas of business. Because of the ultra-high importance of this relationship, the…
Read MorePatents that are Bad Stand-Alone Investments
How BlueIron Evaluates Patent Investments. We do not invest in technologies where we don’t think there is a market for the patents alone. BlueIron treats client’s patents like collateral for loans. Our investment is protected only by the value that the patents would have on the open market, if the client walks away from the…
Read MoreJoin an Accelerator – and Lose Your Intellectual Property
Companies that join accelerators, incubators, coworking spaces, CEO roundtables, etc. are at a huge risk of losing their IP – just because they participate. Most patent valuation analysts will remove 50% or more of the value of a company’s patent just because they were in an accelerator. Lose *half* of your most valuable asset –…
Read MoreHow to Review a Patent Application
How can you mess up reviewing a patent application? It’s a lot easier than you think. Some comments made by an inventor, even the most innocuous comments, can be misconstrued if a patent ever was litigated. Rather than create a messy trail of documented comments remember the most important rule: Good news by mail, bad…
Read MorePatents that “Hide the Ball”
I had a telephone interview with a patent examiner the other week and in the course of the interview, the examiner said that he really liked my patent application because I did not try to hide the ball with the invention. I was originally taught to write patent applications by obfuscating the invention. Specifications are…
Read More