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Identifying and Pursuing Patent Infringers

Identifying and Pursuing Patent Infringers: Using technical evidence to build your assertion campaign Building evidence of use (EoU) for advanced technology products can be challenging, because advanced product testing or reverse engineering may be required. And, while indications of use may help get infringers to the negotiating table, these often implied indications of use are less lucrative than fact-based EoU. Join Gene Quinn, President and CEO of IPWatchdog, Inc, on Thursday, May 2, 2019 at 12:00 pm (noon) EDT, for a free webinar discussing…

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LED lighting pioneers scoop Nobel Prize

Three scientists have been awarded $1.1 million in prize money after winning the 2014 Nobel Prize, led by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano (both Japanese) and U.S. scientist Shuji Nakamura shared the prize for the development of Blue LED technology. Up until the early-90’s engineers and scientists had discovered how to make red and green LED’s but had struggled with creating blue diodes which were the key to creating white lamps that would eventually make the…

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EPO launches new online patent filing system

The European Patent Office (EPO) has launched a new online filing system for patent applications. There has reportedly been an increase in the demand for such systems to be introduced over the last few years by patent holders frustrated with having to submit paper applications. The EPO said that it is another step towards automating the application process, minimising the risk of human error and reducing the cost of patent filing. EPO President Benoît Battistelli said: “The new system supports…

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New Zealand Patent Office New Rules

Renewal Rules Update: New Zealand

On 13th September, the maintenance and renewal rules for New Zealand changed. In summary, you need to be aware of the following key points to ensure that your next renewals are completed successfully and your patents aren’t accidentally allowed to lapse:   Renewal years [alert type=”success” title=””] Instead of paying just four lump sum renewal fees over the life of the patent, you now need to pay annually, starting from the fourth anniversary of the filing date. [/alert] New fee schedule [alert…

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5 people who proved the true worth of a patent

Levi Strauss buys revolutionary denim patent In the early 70’s an American tailor called Jacob Davies realised that he could use metal rivets on jeans to make them more durable. It may have been a seemingly tiny alteration in the clothing market but would end up evolving into a huge worldwide success. Davies was unfortunately unable to afford the patent office fees in order to adequately protect the idea so approached an unknown store owner called Levi Strauss to pay…

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Finding the right patent renewal solution for your company

In Brief: Three Ways To Renew Your Patents

Through Your Patent Attorney This is the quick fix. If you really don’t want to think about your renewals and you’re happy to pay to have the problem taken off your hands, this could be a good option for you. Remember that you there could be a lot of people involved in the renewals process and each one will take their cut.   DIY From Scratch At the other end of the scale, you could cut out everyone else and…

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5 ways to save on patent renewal fees

Five Ways to Avoid Hidden Patent Renewal Fees

The business of finding a patent renewal can be long, expensive and (let’s face it) not exactly riveting. If you choose the wrong provider, you can end up paying through the nose in one of two ways. Some companies are extremely expensive and take advantage of the fact that you don’t know what the end costs actually are. They hide huge markups in the fee you’re quoted. Other are unreliable and you will end up paying late fees or penalty fees…

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What small business can learn from Apple & Samsung’s patent lawsuit

The World’s two biggest smartphone manufacturers, Apple and Samsung, have been fighting a very public patent war in the US courts, finally this week agreeing to drop litigation from territories outside of the US. Apple first sued Samsung in 2011 for alleged copyright breaches on the iPhone, Samsung then counter-sued in regions including South Korea, Japan, Australia, Germany, France and the UK. Although both sides have agreed to drop their legal action in regions outside of the US, the case…

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Why you may be paying 4x more than the patent office fee to renew

We were really glad to see esteemed Intellectual Property blog IPKat discussing RenewalsDesk and the hidden costs that some renewals companies charge to patent holders. One of the most discussed issues from the article is how you can be charged up to four times the official patent office fee by many renewal agencies. “Over eight million patents are held worldwide by many thousands of businesses. All have to pay regular renewal fees, usually every year, to the Patent Office for each…

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Hidden fees: Foreign exchange and the dark side of patent renewals

Well over eight million patents are held worldwide by many thousands of businesses, but only a small percentage of these businesses truly understand what they are paying to keep their patents in force. The vast majority – especially those without in-house IP expertise – are kept in the dark when it comes to the hugely inflated fees they end up paying every year to make patent renewals. As patents are granted and maintained on a country-by-country basis, most patent holder’s…

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We will always tell you the patent office fee so there are no hidden fees. Ever.

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