The United States invested heavily in scientific research and development to beat the Russians and all other nations to the moon. The coordinated efforts that made that achievement possible continue to inspire patent policies to this day. A few years ago, the United...
Patent valuation is critical in determining the monetary value of patents and patent portfolios. This process is essential for various business activities, including mergers and acquisitions, licensing negotiations, fundraising and financial reporting. Valuing patents...
It can take months – or years – to get through the patent application process. Even then, there’s no guarantee that your patent will be granted the first time around, if at all. In the meantime, you probably don’t want to sit on your invention if it seems like the...
Patents are a key form of protection for organizations involved in research and development. A patent theoretically gives a company sole control over a concept or process for a set amount of time. The company that holds the patent can choose to license certain ideas...
Pursuing patent protection is a very lengthy process. It often takes more than two years to obtain a patent, sometimes even longer than that. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) sees thousands upon thousands of applications and must properly review...
Patents for technological developments are often incredibly complex. Companies can patent processes, software and physical technology, like playable game devices with screens that people can split in half. Patents for software and devices can give one company a...
Successful patent prosecution protects a business's investment in the development of new products or processes. Many businesses that develop new products, including pharmaceutical companies, often seek patents for new discoveries as soon as possible. Doing so allows...
Whether a business purchases rights to creative works or hires professionals to produce them for the organization, the company will understandably want to protect that investment. Yet, balancing the need for legal protection with the cost involved in obtaining it can...
The ability to negotiate a licensing agreement with other businesses is one of the many benefits of investing in research and development. Whether a company does its own research to develop new formulas, products or processes or purchases a concept from a third party,...
Trends in patents often reflect trends in consumer sales. In recent years, technological and medical patents have been some of the most lucrative, but what companies want to develop constantly changes. For example, increasing transportation costs and worries about...