I recently spoke to 2 different startup entrepreneurs who explained to me that each had “a brand that needed protecting.” To each, this meant that they intended to focus their sales and marketing efforts on customers who fit image they saw as befitting their respective products. While I was intrigued by the products and the [...]
Posts under ‘Uncategorized’
Hey “Patent Experts”: How Do You Like Groupon’s Patent Now? *Crickets*
Yesterday’s announcement of the firing of Groupon’s CEO and the hope for a rebirth of the company’s business model brought to mind a post that I wrote a couple of years ago railing against the self-interested opinions of “patent experts” on why Google offered $6 Billion for Groupon in late 2010. Re-reading the post in [...]
Is Traction the New IP for Startups? Maybe Not for Yours.
“Traction is the new IP.” This emerging mantra results in many startup CEOs eschewing the traditional path of patent and other forms of IP protection. While I am aware of no rigorous studies conducted to date, anecdotal information indicates that startup entrepreneurs are increasingly saying no to patents, and likely to other forms of IP. [...]
Do Patents Matter? Lean Startups Should Ignore Expert Advice and Let Their Data Drive Patenting Decisions
Many hold strong opinions on the value of patents to business. Both in person and online, there are any number of “experts” who stridently insist that without patent protection, a company’s business goals are doomed. With about 350,000 new patent applications filed in 2012, there is no question that many agree that patents create, and [...]
The Apple vs. Samsung Verdict Actually Demonstrates that Patents Do Promote Product Innovation
In the time that the Apple vs. Samsung patent fight has been underway, we have been inundated with an untold number of articles on how Apple is stifling innovation in the SmartPhone world. (Haven’t seen these: just do a Google search for “Apple stif . . .” you don’t have to type any more than [...]
A Startup Company’s Experiences with Open Innovation-Part 2: Adventures of a Chief Frog Kisser
After many years of counseling small companies on how to license their technology to large companies as an IP attorney, the tables are now turned. My new role is as CEO of a startup company with breakthrough battery charging technology available for licensing. I am finding that many of the things I knew to be true [...]
A Startup Company’s Experiences with Open Innovation-Part 1: Dealing with a Large Company Having Small Innovation Goals
For the past several months, I have been at the helm of Evgentech, a startup company with game-changing battery charging methodology. Our technology was developed by young men who did not come from a traditional engineering background and, even then, their discovery was a serendipitous result of the co-founders’ recognition of a new principle stemming from [...]
Editorial Note: Where Has This Blog Been Lately?
Subscribers to this blog may have been wondering why posts have been few and far between lately. There’s a good reason for this: I am now CEO of a startup company. You can learn more about my company, Evgentech, here. In short, our technology will allow you to charge your batteries 10x’s faster than you [...]
Open Innovation Insights: 5 Biggest IP Legal Mistakes Small Companies Make When Working with Large Companies
Open Innovation guru Stefan Lindegaard recently asked me what the biggest IP legal mistakes small companies make when they are working with large companies. This is a subject very near and dear to my heart, as I am currently “moonlighting” as GC of a start up energy company that is moving toward licensing our technology [...]
Google Changes the Game Again–This Time for Patent Owners and Those Who Serve Them
Patrick Anderson of the great Gametime IP blog reported the details of Google’s new prior art searching tool*. This is such important news, I thought it important to repeat it in a separate post. Patrick provides detailed instructions for how to use the Google patent searching tool, and I will not repeat that information [...]