{"id":12525,"date":"2023-01-25T13:22:15","date_gmt":"2023-01-25T13:22:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/TheNextWeb=1393753"},"modified":"2023-01-25T13:22:15","modified_gmt":"2023-01-25T13:22:15","slug":"how-startups-can-protect-their-ip-8-tips-from-a-patent-attorney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=12525","title":{"rendered":"How startups can protect their IP: 8 tips from a patent attorney"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For tech startups<\/a>, the most valuable assets are often invisible.  <\/span>While businesses were traditionally built on physical resources, the contemporary economy is increasingly driven by intangibles. The chip firm Arm, for instance, earned <\/span>a $40 billion valuation<\/span><\/a> and a reputation as the UK\u2019s leading tech company \u2014 despite never manufacturing a single chip. Instead, the company designs the processor architecture that\u2019s used in countless devices.<\/span><\/p>\n

This intellectual property-based business<\/a> model<\/span> has transformed stock markets. In 1985, under a third of all assets in the S&P 500 were classed as intangible by 2020, that proportion had risen to around 90%<\/span><\/a>. Startups, however, can overlook IP protection in their initial plans.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Robert Lind, a patent attorney at IP firm Marks & Clerk, they\u2019re taking a major risk. Lind recently wrote <\/span>an e-book<\/span><\/a> on how to protect and monetize their intellectual property. He shared his top tips with TNW.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Start your research ASAP<\/h2>\n
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Get your tickets for TNW Valencia in March!<\/h4>\n

The heart of tech is coming to the heart of the Mediterranean<\/p>\n

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According to Lind, tech firms often neglect IP until their business is exposed to creative and financial peril. He advises them to start their research before they really need it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Naturally, Lind suggests their study material includes his e-book. But he doesn\u2019t recommend relying on professional advisors at every turn.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cArm yourself with the knowledge at the outset, so you know when to bring in the experts \u2014 and when you don\u2019t need to bring them in,\u201d says Lind. <\/span><\/p>\n

For tech startups, patents are the primary form of IP that can be protected. Founders<\/a> should educate themselves on what a patent is, how to get them, how they\u2019re enforced, and how third-party patents can be interpreted.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Keep it confidential<\/h2>\n

It should go without saying that your brilliant idea should be kept private, but that\u2019s easier said than done. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u200b\u200bGoing public doesn\u2019t just mean selling a product,\u201d says Lind. \u201cIt could mean presenting a conference paper, publishing an article in a journal, or putting some information on your website. Be very careful about publishing your ideas before you\u2019ve taken a view on whether something\u2019s patentable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Diligently identify your innovations<\/h2>\n

Innovations are the lifeblood of patents, but they\u2019re not always easy to identify. Many researchers and engineers don\u2019t realize that their work could be valuable IP. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very important that you have regular reviews internally and milestones in your project plans to consider what innovations have been made and whether or not they should be patented,\u201d says Lind.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Lind
<\/i><\/a>Lind has spend 24 years as a patent attorney at Marks & Clerk. He graduated from Glasgow University with a BEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and followed this with a PhD in Bioelectronics.<\/figcaption>