Destroying your chance to patent an invention is easy. Here are several traps and how to avoid them. The trap of early disclosure. Every couple of weeks or so, I receive an enquiry from a business owner with an invention they wish to protect with a patent. We have a very pleasant conversation about how effective…
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With the ownership of a patent comes powerful rights including the right to stop others from exploiting an invention. Consequently, and unsurprisingly, it is not uncommon for a dispute to arise as to the ownership of a patent. It is important that you are sure that patent ownership issues are watertight before filing a patent…
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Many people ask how long the patent application process takes. The short answer is “a few months to over five years”. That usually leads to the next question: why does the time vary so much? For Australian patent applicants wishing to protect their invention outside Australia with a standard patent, a very common path is…
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One of the requirements for the granting of a patent is that the invention is new. To determine this, a ‘prior art’ search may be conducted, which looks for inventions that are similar to yours, usually in published patents. A prior art search may prevent you from trying to patent an old idea, saving you…
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Many entrepreneurs wonder whether it’s worth patenting their technology. A number of studies have demonstrated that, on average, the more intellectual property a company holds, the higher its market valuation. In particular, there is a strong correlation between the number of patent citations and the market capitalisation of a company. Indeed, the most successful corporations…
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The benefits of an IP strategy can be huge. What’s an IP strategy?A corporate IP strategy is a plan for using intellectual property to benefit the company. That’s it. It can be as simple or as complex as you like. Why have an IP strategy?There are many reasons why companies implement an IP strategy. At…
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Apple has grown from a tiny home business to a market value of US$2.9trillion (that’s about twice Australia’s GDP), making it the most valuable company in 2022. Understanding this could increase the value of your company, which is important if you are preparing for sale or investment. The distribution of value for the iPhone in…
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Dishonest contract manufactures in the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) and other asian countries may make extra product for “back door” sales. There are countermeasures for this sort of dishonesty, including using different manufacturers for different parts of the product. Those experienced with using contract manufacturing in the PRC suggest that a trusted relationship is…
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I’m sure you’ve heard of the Pure BlondeTM brand of beer. When it was released by Carlton & United Breweries (CUB), it was one of Australia’s most successful beer launches. I had the privilege of interviewing CUB’s Intellectual Property Manager, Mathew O’Keefe, about the Pure BlondeTM brand. I think the issues are relevant to anyone wanting to…
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Dr Ian Maxwell has a wealth of experience with high-tech start-ups in Australia. He has run start-ups in areas as diverse as polymers, water treatment, medical diagnostics, ICT, touch screens, solar technology and software apps. He has also been a venture capital partner and invested in many more start-ups. With all this experience, I couldn’t…
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