Recent Episodes

February 26, 2024 Patently Strategic Podcast: James Howard and the Black Inventors Hall of Fame

What would you have been without a role model? What would you have done had you not known your career path was even an option? The answers to these career and life-defining questions often come down to exposure, access, and whether or not we could picture ourselves doing something in the first place. I doubt there are many readers on here who are not regularly awe-inspired by the incredible work of the inventors we’re fortunate to know and serve. There are few nobler or more important professions. While we already know this and possibly take that knowledge for granted, our future depends on as many kids as possible – from as many backgrounds as possible – being inspired by, and personally identifying with, this world-shaping path. Our special guest in this month’s episode, James Howard, is taking on that challenge.

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February 2, 2024 Patently Strategic Podcast: Claim Construction

Claim construction is a process in which courts attempt to interpret the meaning and scope of the claims of a patent. It’s effectively reconstructing what an inventor and their practitioner meant back when they drafted the patent application. While your patent might not be tested in a court for many years, understanding the sometimes-surprising language specifics and context traps while drafting now can help set you up for success later when defending your patent or attempting to stop an infringer. The words you choose now and the support you provide when drafting are your opportunity to help de-risk the process of courts and juries later interpreting what you meant. And oftentimes, claim construction can be the key factor in resolving disputes even before litigation, with the facts that come out of claim construction deciding the monetary value and payouts in settlements.

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November 30, 2023 Patently Strategic Podcast: Patenting Games

The global video game market topped $183 billion in 2022 and is projected to exceed $300 billion by 2026. To put those numbers into perspective, this makes gaming bigger than the film and music industries combined – and dwarfs the combined revenue of the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL! Worldwide board game sales, while significantly less, still account for over $2 billion. That’s a whole lotta IP in need of protection, so in this month’s episode of Patently Strategic, we’re talking games.

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October 12, 2023 Patently Strategic Podcast: Claim Strategies

Claims are the fundamental building blocks of a patent. There simply is not a more important concept to grasp in all of patent strategy. As former Chief Justice of the Federal Circuit, Giles Rich, once famously said, “The name of the game is the claim.” And in terms of what game you’re playing, the claims are where you separate the patents playing checkers from the patents playing chess.

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September 12, 2023 Patently Strategic Podcast: Government Grants and Patent Rights

Non-diluting capital can be an essential source of funding when trying to get your innovation off the ground. Investor money comes with the loss of equity and/or control. Family and friends’ money may come with the risk of strained relationships. In comparison, essentially free money by way of government grants can seem like an obvious choice, right? And it is for many. The Small Business Technology Transfer (or STTR) and Small Business Innovation Research (or SBIR) grants are the largest source of early-stage capital for life science startups in the United States, combining to provide over $2 billion annually in support from federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH). But like money from investors, friends, and family, these grants do still come with some serious strings attached and potential ramifications you need to be aware of.

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August 17, 2023 Patently Strategic Podcast: Jack Daniels, Mickey Mouse, and Andy Warhol Walk into a Bar

Copyrights and trademarks, in particular, have seen a lot of limelight this year involving some of the biggest brands and pop culture icons. At the same time, major IP rights questions are erupting around the use of generative AI systems like ChatGPT. In this month’s episode of Patently Strategic, we take a fast-paced tour through some of the highest-profile copyright and trademark disputes – both recently settled and freshly on the horizon – involving the likes of Jack Daniels, Mickey Mouse, Andy Warhol, Jason Voorhees, Winnie-the-Pooh, Lizzo, and WallStreetBets. Fortunately for us, sometimes life can be more entertaining than art. In addition to covering the IP fundamentals necessary to help get you booted up, we’re going to use big brand IP current events and Supreme Court cases as a vehicle to gain a deeper understanding of copyrights and trademarks and some of the sharpest corners you should be aware of when managing your own brand protection.

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About This Podcast

Aurora’s Patently Strategic is a patent-focused podcast for inventors, founders, and IP professionals, covering the finer points, sharp edges, and nuances of startup patent strategy. Each monthly episode features a round-table style discussion amongst experts in the field of patenting and is hosted by Dr. Ashley Sloat, Aurora’s President and Director of Patent Strategy. Patently Strategic is brought to you by Aurora Consulting, a patent strategy boutique that specializes in working with early stage life science, medical​ device, digital health, and software companies to develop valuable patent portfolios through highly tailored, comprehensive strategies. Aurora’s scalable, value-oriented patent portfolio services include strategy, drafting, filing, prosecution, and searching.

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