Posts Tagged ‘Entrepreneurship’
Patent Enforcement Insurance Makes Your Company Valuable
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 MoreExclusive Licenses Can Be More Valuable Than Owning Patents Outright
Own or Rent? Exclusive Licenses Can Be More Valuable Than Owning Patents Outright. Patents encapsulate the hopes and dreams of a company and many investors, CEOs, and inventors have a negative gut reaction about not “owning” their patents. For some reason, “owning” their patents is a deeply emotional issue, but it should not be. Exclusive…
Read MoreWhy IoT Patents are Hot
What are the hottest patents? IoT patents. Most people do not realize that there is an extensive, highly developed secondary market for patents. This market runs under the radar for the most part, with occasional news stories about “patent trolls”. However, it is very sophisticated, well financed, and trades tens of billions of dollars of…
Read MoreInvesting In Patents Website Launched
My new book “Investing In Patents” describes the patent system from a perspective of an investor in a startup company. Angel or venture capital investors often just “check the box” for patents, but few really understand how the system works. Most investors are shocked to know that many of the patents their portfolio companies are…
Read MoreA 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 MorePatents Are Similar to Stock Options
Patents are similar to out-of-the-money stock options. Patents are an inherently risky investment and have lots of similarities to options trading. This is because they have value only when the market comes to them. At the time you purchase an option – and at the time you create a patent – you must place a…
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