"It is extraordinary how you have thrown yourself into this project on such short notice. The project could not have been successfully completed without you." (Attorney at Fortune 50 Company)
This article (click here) discusses Microsoft head of Research Rick Rashid's comments that the key to a technology company's survival is research. The article provides some great examples of how Microsoft is finding new areas of revenue through their research.
Rick's comments go right along with a message about the importance of patents to protect the research and development a company is doing. In my experience, I have met three types of companies:
This order of this list also often corresponds to the rate of success that I see from these companies. All of the big players, such as Microsoft, Intel, IBM, and others, make major investments in both research and IP and see the rewards of those investments to their bottom line. However, what is less visible is the enormous benefits that come to small to medium sized companies that protect their IP. These companies can ward off competitors seeking to copy their hard work, and they provide themselves with a defensive position when competitors try to assert IP against them. These companies are also often the targets for acquisition by bigger companies that view the IP the company has built as an asset as valuable as the team and products of the company.
Mason Boswell is a patent attorney in Seattle that focuses his practice on software, semiconductor, and game companies. In this patent advice blog, you will find current thoughts on patent strategy, patent-related news, and other interesting intellectual property topics.