Intellectual property (IP) refers to intangible assets such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. These assets increasingly represent significant, material value of businesses, and as such, they need to be properly protected and managed in buy/sell agreements. In a buy/sell agreement, the seller is often required to transfer ownership of any IP that is […]
Rights
Patent Value, Uncertainty, and the Debate about Patent Quality
When I was the Chief Economist at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), I sometimes encountered people who were surprised to know that I existed. Well, not me as an individual, but the role of Chief Economist. Why does the USPTO have economists? Now, many of these individuals were Congressional staffer-types on their fourth […]