Posts Tagged ‘Entrepreneurs’
How Big Law Hurts Startups
Many inventors and entrepreneurs like to tout their relationship with a Big Law Firm. It is too bad they do not know how the sausage gets made. Touting that Big Law wrote your patents is not a badge of quality I review countless patents for startup companies and talk to lots of entrepreneurs. One of…
Read MoreCramdowns, Receivership, Bankruptcy – Why Patent Financing is Good for Founders and Angels.
Photo by Scott Osborn on Unsplash BlueIron’s patent financing puts your IP in a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) – an LLC that holds your patents. It can be thought of as a lease with a buyout option – similar to leasing a car. A special feature is that it can help you survive a cramdown,…
Read MoreThe Entrepreneur and the Angel 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.” Photo by Tommaso Pecchioli on Unsplash The calculus is simple to the entrepreneur: they think a…
Read MoreThe Patent System is Broken – but not in the way you think it is.
The patent system has some weird quirks that makes it feel broken. In truth, you do not want to know how the sausage gets made at the Patent Office, and patent laws are all weirdly nuanced with few bright lines. That is just the way it is. The real problem is the patent applicants, not…
Read MorePatents and Psychology – The Fear of Loss and the Lottery Ticket
The Fear of Loss A patent brings out weird psychology of entrepreneurs and investors alike. They are their own worst enemy. By the way, this is one of the reasons why the patent system is broken, but not the way you think it is. Note: this is an excerpt from my forthcoming book “Startup IP…
Read MoreWhat to Consider When Filing Patents Internationally
Updated 1 Jul 2021 Most Foreign Patents are a Vanity Project Many entrepreneurs like to go after foreign filings. The normal course of business is to file a PCT application, then enter “national phase,” typically about two and a half years later. (“PCT” means Patent Cooperation Treaty, often mistakenly called an “international patent application.” The…
Read MorePatents Help Sell Your Company
(Updated 10 Oct 2021.) IP plays a big role to sell your company, especially if you are a startup company. Most people think about building an IP portfolio for “protection.” Somehow, the patent value[1] is that they can mystically enforce their patent on an infringer. The notion of “protection” is mostly an illusion, unless you…
Read MoreSo You Have A Patent? Now What?
For many entrepreneurs, life goes on. The nasty secret is that now that they have this new asset, they don’t know what to do with it. They spent a lot of money, time, and energy getting the patent, but struggle with the value of it.
Read MoreRethinking 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 MoreColorado Code Craft Receives Patent Financing Investment from BlueIron IP
PRESS RELEASE – Loveland, Colorado – Colorado CodeCraft, a Denver-based software security and virtual reality company, is using BlueIron’s unique patent financing to keep their costs under control, but more importantly, get better patent protection than they could get anywhere. Under BlueIron’s financing, Colorado CodeCraft delays paying for their patents, but gets a much stronger…
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