The Crossroads of Patents, Copyrights, Trademarks, Technology, and Business

Patents are granted on a country by country basis. If a company is considering “international” patent protection, that is to say patent applications in multiple countries, there are two primary approaches:

1. Filing patent applications on a country by country basis directly in the patent office of those countries – This can present several concerns. First, it forces the company to select the target countries early, prepare the patent applications, and pay the fees for each selected country early in the process. At this early stage of product development, the company may not yet know which countries are desirable for pursuing patent rights. Furthermore, there are timing issues in filing the patent applications in each country which must be followed to avoid the loss of patent rights. Fortunately, agreements such as the Paris Convention permit a one year timespan for filing of the patent applications within the multinational patent family instead of having to file all of the applications on one day.

2. The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) streamlines and provides more flexibility in the filing and expenses of multiple patent applications compared to direct filings in the national patent offices. Using the PCT procedure, the applicant initially needs only to file a single patent application in the receiving office for which the applicant is eligible. This initial filing accords the applicant a single international filing date and preserves the option to direct this patent application to selected PCT member countries at a later stage. Although more than 125 countries are currently a party to the PCT, the company should confirm that its likely target countries are parties to the PCT. Notable non-member countries in Asia include Taiwan and in South America include Argentina.

After the PCT patent application is filed, the International Search Authority (commonly the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the European Patent Office, or the Korean Patent Office) will perform a search on the PCT patent application for the most relevant prior art and deliver a written report regarding the patentability of the subject invention. This international search report can help the applicant to decide whether it would be worthwhile to seek national protection, and if so, in which countries. Optionally, while still in this international stage, the applicant may amend the application and “demand” a preliminary examination by an International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA). This is typically requested when the initial search report is not favorable.

The applicant selects the desired PCT member states before moving into the next stage (“national” or “regional”), where the international application and the search results are transmitted to patent office of the selected countries. Typically within 30 months from the filing date of the international patent application, the applicant continues the patent application process in the desired countries, where the patent application will be examined according to the patent laws and procedures of each of those selected countries. It is at this stage where the cost of preparation and fees multiply based on the number of countries selected, due to translations, revisions, filing fees, and other expenses. During the examination, some patent offices place great weight on the ISA and IPEA search reports (often saving time and money) while others will perform their own search. The applicant then prosecutes the application until the patent is hopefully granted.

Each of the two primary international filing approaches has advantages and disadvantages, especially in light of the business plan. The PCT patent application can preserve the option for  filing in many countries for a relatively low upfront cost. It also effectively permits more time to select target countries and more flexibility on the timing of the spending. Additionally, the PCT option can be combined with other agreements such as the patent prosecution highway. This makes the PCT an effective tool in international intellectual property strategy.

Congratulations! You’ve filed your patent application. The next step is for the inventor to commercialize the newly created intellectual property. The three primary options are to completely assign the patent rights to another party, license the patent rights, or to manufacture, market, and sell the product disclosed in the patent application. Frequently, inventors wish to maintain some level of rights in the invention and do not wish to manufacture, market, and sell the product or process described in the patent application. For this reason, inventors often choose to license their technology. While the inventor is creating a list of potential licensees and creating a marketing plan for those potential licensees, he or she should also start thinking about the terms of a patent license. There are many options to think about for a patent license but three key terms include:

1. Payments – The most well known approach for payments are royalties. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of net sales, but there are also other methods of compensation. For example, the royalty may be a fixed amount for the term of the license, a fixed amount per year,  or a fixed amount per unit sold. The royalty rate varies and is influenced by factors such as:

• The industry of the product
• Whether the technology is a complete self-contained product or an improvement to an existing product
• Whether the technology is patent pending or the patent has issued
• Current market penetration of the product
• The number and nature of competing products

2. Termination – What causes the license to come to an end?

• Time – The license may be for a fixed term.
• Time Period – For example, as long as the patent is enforceable.
• Ongoing Performance Metrics – Minimum annual net sales, minimum annual royalties, minimum unit sales
• Milestones – Where the product is a pharmaceutical, the license may be valid for a certain period after FDA approval

3. Geography – The licensor may wish to grant  licenses on a country by country basis (or other regional divisions).

4. Field of Use – Field of use licensing permits the technology owner to divide license rights among various market segments. For example, the licensor of a chemical patent may grant an exclusive license to one party for use in the field of human medicine and a second exclusive license to a second party for use in the field of veterinary medicine.

Bonus – Other valuable assets may be licensed in addition to the patent or patent application. Commonly, proprietary information, trade secrets, know-how, or trademarks may be licensed in addition to the patent rights. For example, a patent application may disclose the best manner of making a composition that was known at the time it was filed. Later, the chemists might have determined a more cost-effective method or environmentally friendly of synthesizing the composition. Software patent applications might have related source code. That other valuable proprietary information may be part of the technology transfer.

There are many other terms to consider, but the above terms should be helpful in the early stages  of planning for terms in a patent license.

In receiving questions from clients and others, some incorrectly believe that the new first-to-file provisions of the recently passed patent legislation mean that the first party to file a patent application unconditionally has lawful rights in the patent application, even where a second party misappropriates or derives the intellectual party from the first party. This is incorrect.

Many small businesses need help with design and development of inventions at various stages. A startup may want a mockup or virtual prototype in order to pitch for funding. Later, the business may need a working prototype for further proof of concept. Then that prototype may need to be further refined for efficient manufacture. Thus a business may need expertise in moving forward from the concept stage to a tangible product. As I have stated before, be extremely cautious in using inventor assistance companies for these services. That being said, there are some governmental entities that are available for free or at reduced cost.

One great resource for the proof of concept, prototype assistance, and working through some of the early stage engineering issues is the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP). SATOP is an alliance of scientists, engineers, and other technical professionals who provide free technical assistance in machine design, process engineering, material selection, and numerous other technologies. Note: SATOP does not work on software or information technology projects. SATOP offers up to 40 hours of hours of free technical assistance, with a goal a providing a solution within three months. A small business submits a request for technical assistance and the program checks its subject matter expertise and availability before accepting the project. SATOP has centers in Florida, New Mexico, New York, and Texas.

There are other similar programs around the country, although their focus, cost, and scope of assistance may vary.  Some programs provide only with the original prototype and others focus on specific industries.. Frequently, the programs are associated with a university or a Small Business Development Center. The University of Pittsburgh Manufacturing Assistance Center can assist with a wide range of issues from conception to the manufacturing process. It can help in creating 2D or 3D CAD models, machining, fabrication, and pilot production. The University of Maine College of Engineering also offers a program available to businesses, entrepreneurs, and researchers. The University of Utah will soon open the Energy Innovation Commercialization Center offering services in the clean and renewable energy.

Other than a search engine, great starting points for locating these program are your local Small Business Development Center counselors or counselors at the entrepreneurship or engineering department of your local university. The programs do not typically retain ownership of the intellectual property, thus you would maintain control of the patents and proprietary technology.

Frequently inventors consider licensing or sale of their patent application or issued patent as the means for monetizing their intellectual property. One challenging step is to determine who might be interested in licensing or purchasing the patent rights. Determining potential licensees or assignees is a key step in developing the business plan.

1. Search Engines

This is probably no surprise, but the search strategy needs to differ from the typical internet search. The goal is to locate websites of companies that have licensed patents, news releases announcing licensing of patents, industry analyses of patent transfers, and the like. Be prepared to view more than just the first page of results.

• Vary your search terms – You can start with a narrow search based on the features of the patent. For a fishing lure, the first search might be “patent license floating plastic fishing lure bass”. You can then alter the search to include different features and/or broaden the terms of your search to locate different results. Based on the above search, the next searches might be “patent pending clear plastic fishing lure” or “patented top fishing lures”.
• Vary your search sources – Remember that a lot of the discussion of patent licensing and intellectual property sales is not on the general web. The discussion of companies’ licensing and technology transfers may be part of an article in a business journal. Instead of searching just the “web” option of the search engine, search other segments such as “news”, “finance”, or “directories”.
• Vary your search engine – Even though Google is the preferred search engine for general use, other search engines can aid your search for licensees and assignees. There are industry specific search engines, thus you may look for an automotive electronics focused search engine if the patent application is in that industry (if it makes you feel better, you can search Google for the other search engines). Also there are search engines which group or “cluster” results. Thus a search with terms similar to the above fishing lure on a clustering search engine such as Yippy may present results categorized by “Business”, “Suppliers, Manufacturers”, or other relevant groups.

2. Trade shows

Trade shows are where a lot of suppliers and purchasers come together to buy, sell, introduce, and negotiate new technologies. Vendors, purchasers, sponsors, and suppliers listed on the trade show website may also be interested in acquiring rights to other technologies in the trade.

3. Thomasnet

ThomasNet is a comprehensive listing of more than 600,000 manufacturers, distributors, and services providers in more than 67,000 categories ranging from automotive equipment to chemical coatings. Some business in the relevant industries may actively acquire new technology.

4. United States Patent & Trademark Office

The United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) website lists owners of patents and patent applications. One can search the patents records or search the patent assignments to look for owners of patent rights in the selected technologies. Owners of patent rights in the fields related to the patent may be interested in acquiring rights in related technologies from third parties.

Of course locating prospective licensees or assignees is only an early step in patent licensing or assignment. The inventor should still further research and qualify the company before proceeding. And the inventor should understand the value of a license or assignment of the invention the other party.