The traditional patent model is configured to generate protection for an already completed invention. This, by definition, is a backward-looking approach and begs the question of why people are protecting what they have done in the past, when patents are supposed to be about protecting their future. Because strategy is about defining a desired outcome and working backward, an IP Strategist like me necessarily works with clients to identify why they are seeking patent protection in the first place. Only then do we develop a plan to achieve that business goal.
Experience shows that such forward-thinking strategies help innovators stay one step ahead of competitors by enhancing their ability to protect future revenue streams that are expected to occur with the introduction of innovative new products. When developing new products that customers will pay for in significant volumes, these innovators must “make it cheaper to go through them then around them. To do this requires a keen understanding of the customer and competitors who will seek to pinch those customers from the hard-working and risk-taking innovator.
Notably, successful forward-looking patent development methodology requires intense involvement with others who typically do not participate in the patenting process as typically done today, specifically, the customer-focused team members. Because success cannot happen unless the right people are involved, I will decline to work with clients who are not willing to commit the necessary people to a patenting project.
If you are interested in learning more about generating patents that protect the value of your business in the future, and not merely what you have done in the past, you can read my blog post here.