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Crystalizing Your Invention
Entrepreneurs buy into the myth – perpetuated by the patent bar – that they should write and file provisional patent applications before bringing their product to market. There are many reasons why provisional patent applications are wrong for startups, but this post explains yet another, more subtle reason.
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Walking Dead and Their Patents
When I studied for the patent bar exam, it seemed that every other question was about priority dates.
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Investment Grade Patents Need Investment Grade Businesses
The simple fact is that patents only have value when they are infringed. When I invest in a patent through patent financing, I need the startup company to bring their product to market, otherwise, the patent will have no value.
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Patents Enable Innovation – not the other way around
Sophisticated companies view patents as *enabling* innovation, not as a result of it. This comes from a much more holistic view of IP protection.
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Budgeting for Patents
How much should a typical company budget for patent protection?
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Full court press for patent licensing negotiations
Many companies want to license their technologies. But what happens when a company takes a license, then decides to quit paying – or refuses to negotiate after the first license runs out?
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IP Theft by an “Angel” Investor
How an investor stole intellectual property from a portfolio company.
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Beware of (some) Angel Group’s Due Diligence
Not all “due diligence” is created equal.
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Smaller Companies CAN Use IP to Protect Against Bigger Competitors
“Grown ups” use patents to their strategic advantage.
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What Is Patent Infringement?
Patent infringement is when someone else uses your patented idea without permission. The strict, legal definition is when someone infringes or performs every limitation of at least one patent claim. This is found in 35 USC 271.