Posts Tagged: "Patent Business and Deals"

So You Want to Buy Patents – 10 Best Practices in Corporate Patent Buying

Patent buying is an effective way to solve a patent deficiency challenge. In many technology areas (e.g. high-tech, solar, automotive), you can buy patents on the open market that can substantially improve your patent position. With over $7B worth of patents brought to market in the past five years, the opportunities to purchase patents far exceeds any one company’s needs. By adopting a few best practices, you can design and execute a successful patent buying program for your company.

The Changing Landscape of IP Investments – A Conversation with Abha Divine

Abha Divine is the founder and managing director of Techquity Capital Management, which is an IP investment firm that partners with IP owners to help them deploy their assets into untapped markets to broaden their reach and increase liquidity.We discussed the changing IP investment landscape and deals used to focus nearly exclusively on the number of patents transacted. Of course, that changed in the wake of recent substantive patent law changes. The focus of deals, at least those that were being done over the past few years, was quality. But now we are starting to see the marketplace value quantity again, but not at the expense of quality.

The Second Mouse Gets the Cheese – The Innovator’s IP Dilemma

While the startup probably had an initial 100% market share due to a temporary de facto monopoly, such share rapidly decreases as soon as others start selling to the same customers. Worse, many times, one of those fast followers is a large entrenched company that has deep R&D teams, seemingly unlimited budgets, well-known brands and established distribution channels in many key geographies that took decades to build. They can play catchup really fast. In other words, the only thing going for the startup at that point (assuming it could not possibly achieve this scaling up over such a short period of time) is the uniqueness of its technology and its ability to out innovate others. This in turn is only true if the new technology it brings to market is adequately protected against free riders; otherwise one is simply doing others’ bidding and subsidizing their R&D… In short, innovation without protection is simply a form of philanthropy!

Mildly bullish on patent market heading into 2016

Ashley Keller: ”I am mildly bullish, because we’re coming from such a low point that it is likely to improve from here. We just talked about the Supreme Court and the willfulness case. I also think that Europe’s unitary patent system is going to be an eye-opener, because it has the potential to be better than our system’s status quo. Competition is a healthy force, and the new system will drive innovation over there. People are going to pay attention to that, and as a consequence, it may improve things over here.”

A Successful Patent Operation Requires the Right Team and the Right Deal

It should go without saying that a good team is a necessary ingredient toward building a successful patent operation. Unfortunately, many companies think they can check the “IP team box” once an in-house IP lawyer has been hired, and/or outside prosecution or litigation counsel has been retained. While those are often necessary ingredients for executing on the patent front, they are by no means the only ingredients. More is required, particularly in today’s patent market, which not only requires an understanding of patent prosecution, but a keen understanding of the business, strategic and financial aspects of patents.