There is a vibrant market for purchasing patents. Operating companies buy patents from other companies, from individuals, and in bankruptcy auctions and distress sales. Non-practicing entities also buy patents from individuals, failed companies, or from operating companies that want to generate cash or to engage in patent privateering.7 In the last decade, a host of service providers have sprung u... »
A compulsory license is a license given by the government of a country to a person allowing him to use an invention without the patent owner’s permission. This happens when the patent owner doesn’t use the invention or uses it improperly. There have been various instances of a government issuing compulsory licenses to another entity for optimum and adequate use of the invention without... »
The Paris Convention is one of the first international intellectual property treaty formed between numerous countries. The Paris Convention was signed in the year 1883 in Paris, France by eleven countries. Presently, the Paris Convention has 177 countries as contracting parties. The Paris Convention applies to all intellectual property rights such as patents, trademark, copyright, industrial desig... »
Intellectual property (IP) and intangible asset (IA) issues abound throughout the business world, touching nearly all aspects of a company, from product development to human capital, and staff functions such as legal, accounting, finance to line operations such as R&D, marketing and general management. This wide diversity of IP applications and stakeholders is a leading contributor to the comp... »
High-quality protection of intellectual property (IP) is a crucial factor for companies to succeed in today’s competitive world. IP and intellectual property rights (IPR) such as patents, designs, trade secret rights and copyrights have during recent decades garnered increasing attention, and IP has become an important way to gain a competitive advantage in many industries. This has also led to an... »
The phrase “patent valuation” simply refers to the act of having an attorney or non-attorney business person look over your patent portfolio with the purpose of determining what kind of value, if any, it holds. Oftentimes, per the 97% figure above, this practice produces results that entrepreneurs won’t find favorable. However, there’s no way to know whether you’re in the 97% or the 3% witho... »
Maritz is in the business of designing employee incentive plans and other reward programs. The company’s U.S. Patent No. 7,134,087 claims a computer system for using “award points” to purchase goods at a regular store by using a “shadow credit card.” cxLoyalty is a competitor — focusing primarily on customer loyalty. Their creepy motto: “we increase customer lifetime value.” ... »
Technological advancements inevitably have an impact on businesses, that need to adapt in order to survive new challenges and competitors.It goes without saying that patent management — as a key component of many businesses — should also be proactive and accommodate market changes.In recent years, in fact, IP experienced a shift from a mere legal matter to a... »
Kilpatrick Townsend’s Jeff Gendzwill recently gave a presentation on the topic of “Patent Monetization: Options in Patent Sales.” Patents rights and protections are an important part of any company’s IP portfolio. But even after they have been acquired, patents can be costly in light of the various maintenance fees due in most countries Because such fees can quickly add up, it may be worth co... »
Patent portfolios are valuable assets that can provide important leverage to supplement the revenue-generating activities of an organisation. However, developing programmes to realise value through the monetisation of patent assets can be challenging, time-consuming and bring uncertain outcomes. Building organisation strategies around aligning goals, curating and optimising the patent portfolio an... »