Lisa Cook, Professor of Economics & International Relations at Michigan State University, commented on a recent study conducted at Harvard University regarding the demographic data of inventors in America. Cook stated that, “throughout history, women and underrepresented minorities have not been able to participate fully in each stage of the innovation process.” Following the study, […]
Patents
Factors Influencing the Legal Quality of Patents
As I mentioned in a previous blog post, different aspects of patent quality are affected by different actors in the patent system. Improving patent quality requires careful examination of the various policy levers available to different actors. For instance, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is bound by the statutes set forth by Congress. […]
Exploring the Policy Levers that Impact Patent Quality
During my tenure at the US Patent and Trademark Office, the agency engaged in its Enhanced Patent Quality Initiative. To effectively improve patent quality, it was important to understand the various policy “levers” that might influence quality (and of course to understand what we mean by quality, as I discussed here). What levers are available […]
Recent Rulings Suggest Damages Experts Have Discretion in Considering License Agreements Post-Dating a Hypothetical Negotiation
On January 5, 2023, in the matter of Willis Electric Co., Ltd. v. Polygroup Limited, et al., Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota denied a motion to exclude expert testimony that relied on a license agreement post-dating the hypothetical negotiation.1 In this matter, Plaintiff Willis Electric […]
The Roles of Competition and Geopolitics in Cybersecurity and Cyber-Crime
Recently, the Ocean Tomo Cybersecurity Report was front and center in an interview on the Peggy Smedley Show. During the podcast interview, we were able to dissect a variety of important topics related to industry trends, dynamic threats, capital markets, and intellectual property (IP) in the cybersecurity industry. More specifically, our discussion covered: Paradigm shifts […]
Intellectual Property Valuation & Technical Insights: A Path to Successfully Raising Capital
A valuation of intellectual property (IP) may be important when raising capital because it helps to determine the value of a company's most valuable assets – its intangibles. Historically, capital providers would look to the value of a company’s hard assets (such as property, plant, and equipment) to gain comfort before investing in or lending […]
Ocean Tomo, a part of J.S. Held, Releases Cybersecurity Industry Report
Ocean Tomo, a part of J.S. Held, releases its Cybersecurity Industry Report, which provides a comprehensive look at current industry trends and deal activity in the Cybersecurity space and reveals how intellectual property (IP) litigation and a nascent appetite for technology licensing are driving this relatively young but rapidly growing industry. The increasing number and […]
Intellectual Property as a Non-Correlated Investment
Over the last year, market-wide uncertainty has swelled to levels not seen for over a decade. Market fluctuations now have investors increasingly searching for non-correlated returns across all asset classes in an effort to diversify away the risk brought on by this volatile market. Should investors turn to precious metals? Real estate? Emerging markets? There […]