Why should I get a patent? I don’t have enough money to enforce it. Many startup companies don’t bother with patents because they don’t think they can enforce them. And they are right. A patent lawsuit can be very expensive, and the game of enforcement is really a big game of chicken: both sides are… Read more »
What Does A Quality Patent Look Like?
What does a quality patent look like? We evaluate patents every day. We underwrite investments in intellectual property, either for financing patents before they are written or for providing loans against patents that already exist. After doing this for a long time, there are certain elements that we evaluate every time we pick up a… Read more »
An NDA That Encourages Collaboration
BlueIron is now using the Ethical NDA in all our new engagements. The Ethical NDA is available from the Ethical Collaboration Assocation, a 501(c)3 non-profit. The conventional NDA ensures that one party to the agreement must keep the other party’s secrets. In a mutual NDA, both parties agree to the same terms. The conventional NDA… Read more »
Rethinking the Lowly NDA
BlueIron is now using the Ethical NDA from Ethical Collaboration Association, a 501(c)3 non-profit. The Non Disclosure Agreement is one of the basic agreements that every entrepreneur uses. For newbies, the NDA is a revered document that “protects” an idea from being stolen. For older, crusty entrepreneurs, the NDA is a pointless waste of time… Read more »
Why We Use The Ethical NDA
BlueIron is starting to use the Ethical NDA in all our new deals. The Ethical NDA is available here and is administered by the Ethical Collaboration Association, a 501(c)3 non profit. Why do we use the Ethical NDA? It is because we want to establish a collaborative relationship, plain and simple. We value the back… Read more »
BlueIron IP Invests in Novum Concepts
BlueIron IP Invests in Novum Concepts Using A Unique, Non-Dilutive Investment Vehicle BROOMFIELD, CO — As former paramedics, Mike Kobneck and Kevin Scardina have special insight into what emergency room personnel need while awaiting a patient arriving by ambulance for treatment. When a sick or injured person is taking that siren-wailing ride to the ER,… Read more »
A Lifestyle Business Makes Investors Jealous
Investors are just jealous of a lifestyle business. The term “lifestyle business” is used pejoratively to smear businesses that angels or venture capitalists can’t fund, but is really something about having a PROFITABLE business. Investors are just jealous that “lifestyle entrepreneurs” don’t need them. In the angel/VC model, there is only one focus: the exit…. Read more »
Patent Funding: Better Patents from BlueIron
Patent Funding: How BlueIron Gives You Better Patent Quality One of the biggest ironies is that your patent attorney cannot give you good advice. But patent funding changes that. Patent attorneys are bound by the attorney/client privilege, which is a hallmark of our legal system. But it has some unintended consequences. One of which is… Read more »
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* candidates. Ask each attorney to give you a sample of their work, and take the sample to the other attorney…. Read more »
Franchising 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 more »