Blog
Category: Patent Strategy
The proper patent strategy can dramatically improve your IP protection.
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Method Claims and Undetectability
Method claims are especially difficult to detect, but they have another twist that makes them less important than “apparatus” claims.
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Unintended Consequences of Business Decisions
My first job after college was at McDonnell Douglas, a (former) giant airplane company in St. Louis. It was at the very tail end of the Cold War…
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Lots of inventors means lots of problems.
There are many patents that have many inventors. It is not uncommon to see 4, 5, 6, or even more inventors listed on a patent. In fact, there…
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Patent Value – Revenue is the only factor that matters.
TL;DR: Realistic patent valuations are based on *context*. I can tell your patent value by how much revenue it produces. If your patent is infringed, I can calculate…
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Cringe-worthy: “There is nothing like it on the market”
One of my most hated phrases from entrepreneurs.
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The Myth of an Early Filing Date for a Patent
Updated 23 Oct 2025
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Medical Device Patents
Medical devices and pharmaceutical inventions are a special case of intellectual property and are an interesting case study in the valuation of IP. They are an example of…
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Who Owns the Invention?
Many startups fail to have the basic agreements in place so that the company owns its inventions. Part of this is a failure to put the basic agreements…
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Managing the Patent Process
The patent process begins with selecting an invention and evaluating it as harshly as you possibly can. Selecting an invention for patenting is an iterative process and expect…
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Low Hanging Fruit: How Patent Searches Make Your Patent More Valuable
One easy way to spot an above-average patent is the References Cited on the front page. The references are specific pieces of prior art that the examiner considered…
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