The interest of the companies in having a fortified patent portfolio (SEPs) is growing at the rate of knots. The R&D-Sales and R&D-Marketing departments of various companies are making [...]
SEPs are a honeypot for the companies that are aiming to gain supremacy over their competitors. The current status of the SEP world is painted in our other articles. Looking at the average share [...]
Recently, it made to the headlines that Daimler had lodged a complaint with the European Commission against Nokia as Nokia refused to license mobile components and insists on indirect licensing [...]
Recently, we noticed that many companies, especially with big patent portfolios, may not be aware that some of the patents in their portfolio are getting delayed in being officially listed as [...]
Since time immemorial, great companies have become great by hiring the right people. A rookie might wonder why. But seasoned players understand that it is your people who decide your reputation [...]
Recently, Hailo Technologies LLC – after three continuous attempts at suing the manufacturer of Anker Roav SmartCharge Car Kit – sued Best Buy, Target, and Walmart for infringement through the [...]
If you are a Patent counsel, or in any way responsible for the patent acquisitions of your company, you might be receiving multiple requests from inventors or companies to purchase/license their [...]
Jeff, a senior researcher at one of the largest chemical companies in the US, had been shouldering the burden of a problem, which if solved could help an industry worth $43 Billion. Jeff was [...]
Polylactic acid (PLA) is a widely used material in packaging, especially food packaging. Derived from renewable sources like cornstarch, cassava roots, chips, starch, and sugarcane, this [...]
The choice of patent databases highly depends on the motive beneath it, or in other words, the type of patent search involved. For instance, for a prior art search that is for current [...]
Genome editing or gene editing tools bring along with them a promise for a better future as they give scientists the ability to alter DNA. Further, as a result of the growing use of technologies [...]
How do you like your tea? With cream? Sugar? Or the classic, plastic. That’s right, environmentally detrimental glue and plastic. Allow me to spill the tea. Tea lovers sing many a praise of those [...]
Almost every day, multiple patent litigations suits are filed. The increasing frequency of these cases indicates companies are now more inclined to stop competition or get value over their [...]
Imagine – You have hit upon a really good idea, which has a ton of potential. You start working on it with the product development team and invest millions of dollars on the R&D. Because you [...]
“I wish there was one comprehensive list that provides all the patent marketplaces where one could buy and sell patents” — uttered Sara, an inventor friend of mine, during our conversation the [...]
Pre-script: This thought piece is written keeping in mind the board members and key decision-makers that aren’t from the IP department. If you are an in-house patent counsel, patent [...]
Companies often assume that if they spend big on research and development, it’s only a matter of time before they see a big return on investment in the form of new products with high marketplace [...]
With Halloween coming around this week, we thought why not indulge in “Trick-O-Treat”, but the only trick here is that it’s gonna be “Treat-O-Treat” for you. On this spooky season, wanna lift [...]
Like trial transcripts, birth certificates, and property deeds, patents are supposed to be freely available to anyone interested in reading them. And officially, they are: patents are a matter of [...]
For big companies with active R&D departments, keeping track of the many thousands of individual patents that often make up their patent portfolios frequently represents a daunting task, the [...]
Companies should invest their time and resources into developing a diverse patent portfolio as it can act as a vast resource of revenue as well as provide a competitive advantage. In fact, every [...]
On March 5 this year, DivX LLC again made it to the headline, as it asserted a patent lawsuit against Hulu and Netflix for infringing their multiple video compression, encryption, and streaming [...]
Here at GreyB, we, the editorial team, have an intense love for stories. We try to keep the storytelling animal inside us always at work – be it for sharing relevant strategies with the help of [...]
Especially at young, fast-growing companies, there are few employees under more pressure than members of the Patent Review Board, or PRB—also known as a Patent Review Committee. Generally [...]
The utility as well as the supply and demand of IP has seen a significant shift in the last decade and so has the way leading companies are viewing IP. A decade ago companies wielded IP more as a [...]
In 2017, we heard from an executive who was heading up a team that specialized in mobile and augmented reality-related technology at a large Asian telecom company. She had a troublesome problem [...]
Last year in November, a lawsuit knocked on the doors of numerous technology giants, including — AMD, Samsung, Nvidia, HTC, Amazon, Alphabet, LG, Qualcomm, MediaTek, and Microsoft. The case was [...]
This article highlights some of the issues caused by sticking with just one database for all your search needs and how it could be solved. Whether you’re an attorney/counsel searcher [...]
If you are a person who deals with design patents, then we have written this article for you. This article highlights how conducting design searches using Google Image Search feature could throw [...]
Have you ever been in a situation where your IPR got instituted, but the PTO declared the challenged claim as valid? If a challenged claim(s) is declared valid by the USPTO in IPR, and later a [...]
About ten years ago, traditional watchmakers—companies like Tag Heuer, Swatch, and Timex—entered dangerous waters. Tech firms were preparing to introduce the modern smartwatch—a grave threat to [...]
You are an inventor. You have with great efforts secured a patent which has cost you a good quarter of your bank balance. You want to make the most out of your newly granted patent and decide to [...]
Are you looking for a simple approach to prioritizing your innovation efforts? Does your company tend to assign priority to ongoing innovation tasks because it has already invested time and money [...]
Law firms and Feedback — Multiple pieces of research on the subject have shown that there are extremely minimal chances that a client would stick to a law firm if proper feedback is not taken on [...]
Many a time, even after multiple rounds of searches – in house, from the client’s side, and using vendors – leads to no results. One reason it happens because the winning prior art is [...]
Claim charts play a crucial role in litigation. The strength of mapping can become a deciding factor which could turn the balance of the game in favor of either party. However, it ought to be [...]
What happens when a company has a strong patent portfolio but is not able to convert the IP assets into financial ones? Add to it, the rising operational costs that are affecting the financial [...]
Blockchain, with its emergence, has brought companies of several domains on their doors and one of those domains is telecommunications. As communication service providers are openly accepting the [...]
If you’re looking to understand everything about prior art search, you’ve landed on the right page. By the time you’ll finish reading this guide, you’ll likely have built a solid understanding of [...]
Digital Equipment Corporation, once a leader in the computer market for decades does not exist today. Why? Because they failed to grasp the trends. Instead of continuing in the direction of [...]
Running a successful organization is not an easy task. There are multitudes of goals to track, competitors to beat and a product line to build and protect to survive in the cut-throat race. [...]
In the US, litigation costs anywhere around USD 3-4 Million, with damages awarded, on an average being 8.9 Million USD. The highest award till date being $2.54 billion. As I was reading through [...]
Any Tom, Dick or Harry (pardon the cliché) can conduct patent searches using Google Patents Search, Thomson Innovation or Orbit. It takes a power user who is skilled in the art of searching on [...]
If you are planning to conduct a free patent search and want to try your hands on Google Patents, you landed on the right page. This is one of the most comprehensive guides ever written on the [...]
There are a hundred different ways to perform a patent search – You can perform it on a commercial or a free patent database. You might choose a conventional way or go totally out of the league – [...]
So, you’re here. You probably want to sell your patents, or maybe you are looking to buy more. Whatever the case might be, you landed on the right page. A lot of our clients find themselves in [...]
The value of a patent is normally measured by the market/revenue of the products covered by the patent. Larger the market of the product, higher is the value of the patent covering it. But by [...]
Have you ever wondered how Apple, Samsung, and Microsoft emerged as market leaders, despite having thousands of competitors in the technology domain? The popular notion of their success is [...]
If you have been searching for a comprehensive guide on how to conduct a patent search, I would like to congratulate you because your search has just ended. This is your one-stop solution where [...]
Breach of contract, unfair competition, and willful patent infringement – The very terms predominant in the complaint filed by wireless manufacturer Zomm against the Cupertino based tech giant. [...]
Patent landscapes have been in the IP industry for a very long time and have been majorly used to track the number of patent filings, the number of competitors, the number of collaborations and [...]
The consumers of landscape studies are broad, ranging from business executives to university management, and from IP counsels to R&D teams. Further, they all have their own set of [...]
I’m going to enforce my patent rights” said Joey to Ross. Joey and Ross, both inventors and long-time friends had met for drinks in a nearby pub. Recently, Joey had been struggling, mainly [...]
How do you tell apart an abstract idea from another? More importantly, in this post-Alice era, how do you identify abstract ideas which determine the subject matter eligibility for claims? Ever [...]
How long can you live without your smartphone? It wouldn’t be surprising if your answer is – “Not for a long time.” According to a study, an average American adult spends around 3 hours on their [...]
You’re looking for Patent Invalidation search or ways to invalidate a patent. You know there are more than a couple of ways to do it. Or maybe you don’t. Well, for starters, you need prior art to [...]
Intellectual property, especially patents, are one of the most important intangible assets of a business – especially the ones that sustain majorly by inventing and innovating. Given that [...]
Before you go running to the patent office to get a patent, there’s a lot you need to know. Getting a patent is not as simple as getting a copyright/trademark, it’s much complicated, [...]
NuCurrent has been very active in providing wireless charging solutions since 2009, which were commercialized in 2012, while Samsung introduced a wireless charging kit as an add-on to the Galaxy [...]
Did you know that licensees pay huge licensing fees for Standard Essential Patents (SEP)? Unfortunately, not all those patents qualify for the criteria of being a SEP. Hence, in many licensing [...]
Patent Assertion Entities have been an active topic of discussion in IP industries for years. They have earned a moniker of frivolous lawsuit filers trying to assert a patent covering vague or [...]
In the last article, What Is The Problem With Current Outsourced Report CXOs Consume?, I discussed the problem with the current outsourcing practices that CXOs follow. They receive customized [...]
NuCurrent Inc., a Chicago-based wireless charging equipment manufacturer earns millions in patent licensing every year, its licensees including the likes of Apple and Motorola. Did I mention they [...]
A couple of decades ago, patent portfolios were considered to be one of the most indispensable assets of an organization. It was the time when quality was given more importance and filing patents [...]
The Generic drugs industry is one of the fastest-growing industries of this century. Valued at USD 200 Billion in 2015, the global market for generic drugs is expected to reach USD 380 Billion by [...]
“One of the main reasons for getting a patent is to make some money out of it. That is what assets are for, am I right?” – was the response of an inventor when asked the reason why he sought a [...]
How much does it cost to file a patent in … the US? Canada? Europe? China? Japan? South Korea? India? All right, one can always Google and find the cost of filing a patent in each of these [...]
“It is great to be the owner of hundreds of patents, but it is not a simple task to obtain and maintain these patents.” – Legal Counsel at an Inc. 5000 Company The cost to file patents is an [...]
Bringing a new product or invention to the market is not an easy job. It is a time-consuming process and the work starts from the day you had your eureka moment. Filing a patent to protect your [...]
Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) refer to the bundle of legal rights granted with the aim to protect the creations of the intellect of either an individual or a group or an organization [...]
Ever since its launch in November 2004, Google Scholar has become an indispensable search tool amongst students, researchers, and legal practitioners around the globe. Be it for working on their [...]
During the setup of a software, it is critical to understand whether associating a software escrow is needed or not. For the uninitiated, Software Escrow is a service that acts as a security [...]
The purpose of a patent validity search is to validate the enforceability of claims of a patent. If you a plaintiff, a patent validity search will help you know if your patent is going to survive [...]
You would have handled cases where you gave the same search to multiple firms and only a handful returned with the art that you were looking for. Why is it that some search firms find the right [...]
During the course of the past decade, We have worked with various IP counsels, and figured that their strategy towards freedom to operate search can be classified into two major categories – [...]
The Winter was slowly paving the way for the Spring. The warmth of sunshine, from the side window of your car, seeped into your skin. And by the time your reached office, your spirit was on cloud [...]
As Professionals in Patent industry, we spend most of our time reading patents on USPTO Patent Database. Oh yes, there’s google patents too, which has hands down, made our life easier, but [...]
James, a renowned Intellectual Property attorney from the US, works with IP search/consulting partners for assisting him with patent analysis. These IP partners perform analyses like patent [...]
“The CTO’s key tasks are not those of lab director writ large but, rather, of a technical business person deeply involved in shaping and implementing overall corporate strategy.” ~~ W.W. Lewis in [...]
Things happen fairly slowly, you know. They do. These waves of technology, you can see them way before they happen, and you just have to choose wisely which ones you’re going to surf. If you [...]
Whether a corporate or a law firm, it relies somewhat or more on different search vendors for IP related searches. Generally, they have to be choosy and pick one or two good search vendors (out [...]
Before we move ahead to the topic – importance of checking patent strength, for the uninitiated, here is a definition of the term: What is patent strength? Patent strength, in simplest terms, [...]
Visual Memory sued NVIDIA for infringing its US5953740 patent. NVIDIA in a response filed a motion under Rule 12(b)(6) which was granted by the district court. The district court scrutinized [...]
On 8 June 2016, following a proposal from the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council adopted a Directive that aims to standardize the national laws in EU countries against [...]
The gist of the verdict: Claims having a mathematical formula or an application of laws of nature are patent eligible if they improve a particular process. If you don’t know, the Joint Strike [...]
You (or your company, for that matter) are working on developing a product. A result of a ton of brainstorming, a dozen or more presentations to senior management, and a couple of approvals [...]
Often in business, you need to outsource certain tasks to an external vendor – either a freelancer or firm specialized in your vertical. Coming to the decision that you need to outsource a [...]
Lack of IP poses a challenge of patent infringement not only within the country but also when companies plan to go global – They are welcomed with lawsuits. At such a time, patent acquisition of [...]
I have always imagined C-level executives seated on a giant throne, with an invisible crown made of gold and diamonds, donning a three-piece cashmere suit, the modern equivalent of a silk robe; a [...]
US9320716– An apparent sword in the arsenal of Cosmo Technologies -a subsidiary of COSMO Pharmaceuticals- has been on the battlefield a lot, lately. This weapon of choice, both individually [...]
It was the onset of the new millennium. Three different entities- a cardiologist, a university and a non-practicing entity (NPE), at three different points of time, committed a similar mistake [...]
An energy recovering mechanism, introduced in the early 1900s, Regenerative brakes, differ highly from their counterpart conventional brakes, as when applied, the kinetic energy is converted into [...]
“Tis’ the era of outsourcing!” And there’s nothing particularly wrong with it. Especially in the case of In-house counsels and Patent Attorneys trying to find prior art to save their client’s [...]
When it comes to valuation of a company, the market seems to react promptly to product releases, but intangible assets seem to be hardly relevant to investors. This is happening even though [...]
Imagine – You are in the middle of a very important telephonic conversation – maybe with a friend, or a potential investor, or business partner – pitching your breakthrough million-dollar idea [...]
Ask a bunch of patent counsel how do they feel about performing a Freedom to Operate study, and you may hear a collective groan from the whole group. No doubt – performing an FTO is a cumbersome [...]
Thermal runaway is a long standing problem that has bugged large corporations like Tesla, Samsung, and Boeing and small alike. Boeing’s Dreamliner 787, which Boeing advertised as 20% fuel [...]
LiFi technology has been in the public eye since Prof. Harald Haas first introduced it to the world in his Ted talk in August of 2011. LiFi uses characteristics like intensity, and the frequency [...]
By the time the Alice decision marked its second anniversary, more than 8400 applications got abandoned while 60,000+ applications got rejected due to the decision. The district court decisions [...]
Recently, McCain filed a complaint in the court of Northen district of Illinois alleging that J.R. Simplot used its patented designs USD720916 in its Sidewinders product(as shown below). You [...]
This case study would be very interesting for you if you are part of Steel industry. The researcher name, technology, and suggestions have been changed to maintain confidentiality but retain the [...]
While much has been said about the need for a regular Competitor Patent Monitoring exercise in every major industry, the importance of patent monitoring process in the Pharmaceutical industry [...]
I am very fond of Nokia and its products. Mostly because I feel they have made a huge contribution in developing various 3GPP standards. So when I found out that Blackberry was suing Nokia [...]
Note – The technology and client name have been modified to maintain confidentiality. Peter, a senior R&D manager at one of the fortune 500 companies were researching in the domain of [...]
The galvannealed coatings possess two most important qualities: Corrosion protection and High Surface quality, which makes them irreplaceable in numerous automotive applications, construction [...]
Are you unknowingly throwing away your company’s best patents, just to save some bucks on maintenance fee? Or, did your company decided not to pay the maintenance fee due to a lack of potential [...]
Having a sound prosecution strategy is as exigent to the growth of a portfolio as is the necessity of a sound patent strategy for the development of a business. And like every business has its [...]
Race of finding better prior art that can influence an IPR or patent litigation is the need of the hour. Such searches have become increasingly important in recent times, given the huge increase [...]
Less than a month ago, Twilio Inc. filed a suit against Telesign Corporation for willful patent infringement. According to the complaint by Twilio, Telesign was a previous customer, and its [...]
Solar power is widely known for rooftop photovoltaic solar stations which consist of huge solar panels and other components, but nowadays solar power can be collected and used in many different [...]
Today was the most important day in Bob’s life. Bob holding a Mont Blanc in his hand was seconds away from signing a deal with XYZ Technologies. Bob is a patent owner who had spent 10 years of [...]
Someone not so famous once said — If something helps you get better, leverage it. The “it” varies from person to person, based on needs and priorities. For IP counsel, one such “it” could be [...]
On December 1, 2016, Visual Effect LLC filed a lawsuit against NVIDIA Corporation for infringing two of its patents US8864304 and US9167235– for which it demanded a trial by jury. Filed in [...]
Do you know that nearly one-third of the patents involved in litigation were found to be invalid? Well, if you feel this number is high then you will find it difficult to accept our belief – We [...]
Do you also think – how companies like Microsoft and Coca-Cola are superior in their domain? Microsoft dominates the industry in computer operating systems and Coca-Cola in beverages and [...]
Running a business in today’s marketplace is much akin to a game of chess. Every move should be carefully plotted to beat the enemy in his own game so that you could emerge as a winner. But there [...]
Recent affirmation of an Examiner’s rejection by Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) in response to an applicants’ appeal (2013-007847 – Ex Parte Randal C. Schulhauser) seem to open a new door [...]
The Alice v. CLS Bank has had a tremendous impact on how the patent office treats applications for business method inventions. Indeed, since the Supreme Court’s decision in Alice, the allowance [...]
3D Metal printing powders need to have different properties for different applications such as particle shape and size, good flow, low oxygen content, and high oxidation resistance. Some of these [...]
In the last article of this 3D metal printing powder study, we discussed the top three highly researched 3D printing metal powders. In this installment, we will discuss the top three highly [...]
A few months ago, there was a post on LinkedIn by a renowned IP strategist expressing her repugnance on the falling quality of patents being drafted by IP attorneys. In her words, Just had to [...]
Corporations continuously invest in R&D to maintain their competitive edge. A good portion of this investment further goes into building a patent portfolio that helps the company in a number [...]
Since 2013, there is one company of bodybuilding supplement industry that has been making rounds in many IP blogs. It has earned some accolades from the industry like the third most litigious [...]
Macitentan is a drug by Actelion for the treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH). It’s popularly known as Opsumit and delays progression of PAH which got approval from the FDA in [...]
Can you think of traveling from London to Paris by just walking instead of using an airplane? Impossible! You may even call me a lunatic for just asking such a silly question. But the point is if [...]
Have you ever thought how much does a single patent actually cost? Of course, it’s easy to calculate the average filing and maintenance cost of a patent but here I’m discussing the actual cost [...]
Surviving in this cut-throat business era is not an easy task. It takes a visionary whose thought process and efforts can take a small concept to a great success. Faster is not faster if everyone [...]
Have you ever had a case where you had to perform an invalidation search and you need a prior art for a claim at the heart of which has a mathematical expression? Needless to say, you wouldn’t [...]
Patent thickets, broad patents, and patents covering vague and combinatorial claims have exponentially increased in number over the past few decades. Cloaking under the name of patent strategy, [...]
Organizations, to turn their future for good rely on big decisions. However, more often it’s the small decisions that matter the most. Nearly 100,000 U.S. patients are killed every year by the [...]
The irresistible desire to search and capture all the Pokemon is making its players do everything to ensure that the game becomes a phenomenal success. The location based augmented reality game [...]
With the passage of time, technological terms have evolved drastically. Earlier phones were called radiotelephones, later as mobile stations and now we use term user equipment. Did you also [...]
Do patents promote innovation or stifle it? This million dollar question has been a topic of debate for almost a century. Half of us are in favor of the system while the other half openly [...]
How far have your closest competitors come? What patents? In what countries are they valid and for how long? Or more specifically: What has happened in your particular technological area during [...]
In 2005 the Intellectual Property Owners Association (“IPO”) conducted a survey of its members on the subject of patent quality. At that time, more than 50% of responding IPO members felt that [...]
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you [...]
Joe is an inventor. Like most inventors, Joe has worked obstinately and carefully towards designing an invention which he believes is going to revolutionize the world. Joe wants to claim the [...]
Whenever one gets into a problem, the right thing to do is to identify and apply the best solution. However, one can’t decide if a solution is best unless it is compared with other available [...]
In business cost is everything. As such, in drafting and prosecuting patents the lowest cost provider usually wins the business. While this approach may well result in obtaining patents at a [...]
In today’s consumer-centric world, satisfying a clients’ needs is the primary goal of any company. When it comes to prior art searches, there is only one thing that can satisfy a client: a [...]
Often, parties involved in patent infringement lawsuits are either unaware or they often fail to consider non-infringing alternatives. However, non-infringing alternatives could be a game-changer [...]
Are all prior art searches equal? No. Some only apply to the United States. Some will also include foreign patents. And others will include searching for non-patent literature. As the focus of [...]
9 out of 10 patents fail to generate value for their respective owners. These patents don’t get implemented in products, nor they find any licensing opportunity in their lifetime. Does that [...]
The recent verdict of Motio Inc. vs. Avnet Inc. has come up as an accurate example of bypassing invalidation based on the Alice decision. Background – Avnet challenged Motio’s U.S. Patent [...]
From beating drums and lighting a fire for smoke signals to say a hello over a receiver, and then to the 2G, 3G eras, and from there to the current hot topics of communication – 4G and 5G – we [...]
The success of an organization depends on multiple factors. While strategy, human resources, and company culture form the recipe of success, other ingredients are also needed to take an [...]
Claiming what you haven’t invented can get you a patent granted. Surprised? Well, this could be true. Want to find out how? Read on: First of all, let me shed some light on what a Negative [...]
You may attest to the fact that a lot has already been written and discussed on the importance of searching in non-patent literature when performing a prior art search. However, not much (almost [...]
But there’s a catch. Patent research is not cost effective for many businesses and they prefer ignoring it. As it doesn’t fit into their budget, they tend to go for low cost solutions. This [...]
Imagine a situation where you are collating a patent portfolio for monetization or there’s a plan to acquire patents. This is like investing in gold or platinum, sort of a difficult call, isn’t [...]
One of the major concerns for corporations is how to sell their undervalued patents. Another concern they face is to increase the value of their good patents as thousands of good patents get [...]
In a lawsuit of 7 patents, Apple passed a motion asserting 2 of Ericsson’s patents as invalid based on 35. U.S.C.§ 101. In the light of Alice ruling, Apple stated that PROTOCOL patents are [...]
Having a sound patent strategy is as crucial as having a well-planned business strategy for a company. In the era where thousands of patents are being filed by technology giants each year, it is [...]
In recent years, technology has witnessed a significant rise in patent filing activities. This has presented some problems and posed critical questions in front of management. Some of them being: [...]
Sports – A major source of entertainment for centuries altogether has not yet witnessed a plunge in its popularity. In fact, with the evolution of technology, they have become more popular [...]
As the global economy is becoming innovation-centric, growth today has become almost impossible without taking IP into consideration. Singapore, where the growth of IP sector is quite apparent, [...]
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