Patent Due Diligence
The Entrepreneur and the Investor – the story of bad IP protection.
An angel investor will ask the entrepreneur “Do you have a patent?” The next thing the entrepreneur does is run out and gets a patent. Is this smart? Note: this excerpt is from my forthcoming book “Startup IP Strategy.” The calculus is simple to the entrepreneur: they think a patent will help to raise money,…
Read MoreHow to Get a Good Patent
How to Get a Good Patent How to get a good patent? It is easy to get a worthless patent, but quite hard to file a good one. A good patent starts with a good invention. The invention should have a high value if the invention were to be licensed or sold to competitors in…
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 MorePatents As Investments
BlueIron treats patents as investments. But we don’t invest in everything. 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…
Read MoreInventions Where BlueIron Will NOT Invest
There are some inventions where BlueIron will NOT invest. I see an obnoxious number of inventions and patents from startups. Almost all of them are not good candidates for us to invest. It is heartbreaking to say “no” to inventors where the invention does not seem to be ‘big’ enough to be a saleable, stand-alone…
Read MoreWorthless Patents – How to Avoid the Biggest Pitfalls
Worthless patents: 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 with the patent examiner. Properly selecting the invention is crucial for getting a good patent. Your conventional patent attorney will tell you if there is prior art,…
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 MoreBlueIron’s Patent Rating Checklist
A Patent Checklist to find out: How good is your invention? The spreadsheet contains many of the parameters discussed in BlueIron’s blog posts on patent due diligence. Please let us know if you have any suggestions/comments to make the checklist a better tool.
Read MoreDue Diligence for Patents – Licensing Potential
In many cases, the licensing potential of an invention is the best way to see its complete value. When rating inventions for patenting, the licensing potential of an invention is a key component. In this analysis, we are interested in the maximum potential uses of the invention. Technologies that are transportable or applicable to different…
Read MoreActor Analysis for Patent Infringement
Due Diligence for Patents – Actor Analysis tells who is the likely infringer. Actor analysis is often overlooked when valuing inventions for patenting, or for valuing patents once they are issued. With actor analysis, we want to know who is the actual actor that infringes the invention. This analysis often identifies patents that you would…
Read More