Before launching any product or service, market research and competitor analysis are essential. Additionally, a patent search must be conducted. There are two main purposes for a patent search. First, to ascertain whether the product or service intended for launch risks infringing existing patent rights. This is called FTO (Freedom to Operate) analysis, an already…
Even for companies actively using patent rights as a crucial foundational asset for their business, it’s rare to start with technology that is both registerable and realistically possesses sufficient marketability from the outset. The business items or ideas presented in startup plans, product introductions, or investment pitches often have business potential but lack technical substance.…
Let’s try to grasp the thread through the story of a hypothetical startup called BE:REST. Since it’s fictional, please don’t try looking it up. BE:REST is a zero-year startup preparing a new service business: a bathroom organization and management subscription service. It’s a company co-founded by three people in their early 30s. BE:REST’s business model…
For an invention to pass the Patent Office examination and achieve registration, it must meet three conditions: ➀ It must be industrially applicable, ➁ It must be novel, and ➂ It must involve an inventive step (be non-obvious) compared to existing technology. Industrial applicability simply means it must be capable of mass production. The patent…
The most challenging aspects when first encountering a patent specification are likely the unique terminology and structure used in the patent industry. When describing a patented invention, the technology must be articulated with enough clarity to leave no room for alternatives, yet expressed broadly enough to avoid unduly narrowing the rights. This often leads to…
If any system or field of study feels slightly difficult, it often boils down to ‘terminology.’ Concepts that aren’t inherently complex can seem daunting simply because the words used are unfamiliar. Before diving in, let’s briefly cover some fundamental patent terms you’ll need to know for us to be on the same page. Patent: Refers…
When I mentioned I was writing a book titled ‘Brand with Patents,’ most people looked bewildered. Patent professionals asked, ‘Branding?’ while branding experts reacted with, ‘Patents do branding?’ The responses universally conveyed a lack of understanding. ‘Patents,’ which protect technology, and ‘branding,’ a marketing tool, seem truly worlds apart. In university terms, they’re like engineering…