Category: Patent

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Nine Ways Intellectual Property will be Impacted by COVID-19

Here are some ways I predict the IP landscape will be impacted by the devastating impacts of COVID-19. You’ll notice I only listed eight below–I saved the ninth way for you. What is the other way you think IP will change?

  • IP Litigation. Litigation inevitably increases after economic downturn. IP litigation will continue or increase as market scarcity increases and, consequently, competition for the same market segment rises.
  • IP Strategy. Businesses that lack strategic direction will seek strategic counsel and insight. The top priorities of IP owners will be 1) make sure legal teams understand business strategy and objectives, and 2) find ways to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate, implement, and report on alignment of IP Strategy with business strategy and objectives.
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Are You a RACE Inventor? Four Characteristics of Successful Inventors

[This post was originally published August 19, 2018, on LinkedIn by Jeff Holman.]

Inventors, like inventions, come in all shapes and sizes. Over the years, working with thousands of inventors has given me a lot of time to refine my thoughts about inventors.

Early on, I thought I could easily pick out the “crazy inventors.” Maybe I could, but over time I realized some of the craziest inventors were the most likely to be successful. Others were simply crazy.

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Patent Guidance: 10 Criteria for Deciding when to File a Non-Provisional Patent Application

[This post was originally published May8, 2018, on LinkedIn by Jeff Holman.]

Ironically, the tasks of preparing and filing a patent application might be less stressful than actually making the decision to file. Very often, inventors file a provisional patent application, get “patent pending” status for 12 months, and then stress over whether to file a non-provisional patent application before the provisional patent application expires. Here are 10 criteria to help make that decision easier.

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Are You Managing Your Patent Portfolio Strategically?

[This post was originally published February 2, 2018, on LinkedIn by Jeff Holman.]

How many times have you found yourself scrutinizing your budget for opportunities to save money, control costs, and optimize productivity? You might find a way to save $100 on travel or $15 on office supplies, because you can easily evaluate the cost/benefit analysis of these expenses.

When it comes to your legal costs, do you find yourself making decisions with very little ability to articulate the benefits you’re obtaining? In terms of your patent portfolio, can you articulate the specific objectives of your portfolio? Or do you just assume you are “protecting” your inventions, because your outside counsel tells you what everyone else is doing, without a clear understanding of what “protecting” really means?

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