Tag: patents

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Chris suspects he saved $12,600 on his lawyer’s fees

I love showcasing the success of our clients because the work we do on their intellectual property can really make a big difference in their business strategy and understanding, even beyond IP and patents.

I just interviewed an awesome inventor, Chris, who has developed a very useful consumer product. To hear more about Chris and how he suspects he saved $12,600 on his legal costs by working with The IP Link, check out the video here:

Also, we are getting closer to launching the next cohort of our program and course, the Product Protection Playbook™, so if you’re interested in keeping your costs down and filing a better patent like Chris did, stay tuned here: https://theiplink.com/waitlist/

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Big News at The IP Link!

Hello Innovators!

One of the things I love about helping entrepreneurs and founders with their IP and patents is all the great conversations I get to have. If there is some way that I can help, I’m typically happy to hop on a Zoom call to discuss it in more depth. On these calls, if there is a way we can help after or beyond the call that makes great sense for us and you, I’m usually happy to talk about what that looks like and enroll folks into one of our programs – at any time.

In fact, I suspect I have talked with many of you over Zoom or at least via email recently, or over the past year or two!

But, I also enjoy deep conversations with our clients and ensuring our programs and services are top-notch.

So, to provide an even better service for our clients, by the end of this month, we will be switching over to a cohort-based process for onboarding new clients. Since our core program is typically between 9 and 12 weeks long, we will be onboarding new cohorts once per quarter rather than at any time as we have done up to now.

What does this mean for you? Well, if you are hoping to file a patent, launch your product, or even start marketing it at any point in the next 3-6 months, now is the time to take action on all the important patent assessment, preparation, and strategy work that needs to happen BEFORE engaging with a lawyer.

…and the best way to start that action is to register now for my upcoming free webinar – I’ll share all the details on the 21st at noon:

https://theiplink.com/register/

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Don’t Miss Anything in Your Patent Draft 🧩

Chessman

We just had a client graduate from the Product Protection Playbook™  Program and in our wrap-up call, he let me know how important the last module, Module 9 – Elevate Application, was to the overall process.

After a fair bit of back and forth between this founder and his patent lawyer, where they both reviewed the draft, made changes, and discussed it in depth, The IP Link also reviewed (as we always do with clients in Module 9) and found quite a few omissions of important aspects of their product. Our recent graduate had this to say:

“You cross-referenced our worksheet where we articulated our product [in module 1 of the program], and you were right, there were quite a few things we were missing in the actual draft from the patent itself. So we need to beef up a few sections… it was just missed.”

Given the cost and importance of getting your patent right, it’s very important that you make sure to have more than one person that knows your tech and understands patents review your patent draft BEFORE it is filed. Missed elements are very common, this client is just one example of many!

What’s your plan for ensuring the highest quality patent draft without missing anything?

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Three Steps to Avoid Patent Mistakes

For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been working on a new presentation that really highlights the differences between the typical approach of going straight to a lawyer to get a patent application and the new and improved approach that The IP Link has developed.

Watch this video if you would like to avoid all of the common mistakes and roadblocks that tend to arise with the old approach to getting a patent.

In this video, you will also learn how to get a better patent and make the most out of your investment into patent protection:

In this video, I talk about:

  • How to get started with patent protection,
  • The three steps to getting a better patent that will bring value to your business,
  • How much patent protection costs,
  • How to avoid common pitfalls,
  • How you should prepare for filing a patent application BEFORE contacting a lawyer,
  • The typical timeline of the patent process (including costs) AND a timeline of our improved approach,
  • How the typical approach of going to a patent lawyer first can cause issues (and how to avoid these issues),
  • And MUCH more!

So don’t miss it!

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Worried About Wasting Your Funding on Legal Costs? 💸

Patents can be very valuable to a business (for certain businesses or in certain cases, they are absolutely necessary for success), but they can also be a complete waste of A LOT of money.

The only way to make sure you aren’t wasting your money on patent protection is by getting the help you need to understand how patents work from a business perspective (not just a legal perspective). How will a patent impact your business, positively and negatively? What products or aspects of your products should your business file a patent on specifically?

Once you understand the business side of patents and how they might fit in with your specific technology and plan, you will be in a far better position to make the right decisions and to optimize your investment into patent protection.

If you’re considering a patent, make the most out of your effort and budget by learning and preparing before going to a lawyer.

If you need help with this, we have a program with over 5 hours of training videos (among many other materials) and I’m prepared to personally coach you through every step of the way. Just get in touch!

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Navigate Conflicting Advice with a Deeper Understanding of IP 🤔

Conflicting patent advice!?

Have you received conflicting advice from advisors or even multiple patent lawyers about how to move forward with protecting your product?

If so, you’ve gotta watch this video I recorded about dealing with such a situation!

I had a call with an entrepreneur last week and they told me they had heard conflicting advice from different advisors and even a few patent lawyers about whether or not they should file a patent application and how they should best proceed.

Certain elements within your startup or small business are important enough that you, as the founder or CEO, need to understand them fully in order to make the right decisions and avoid costly mistakes. Patent protection is one such element.

You just don’t know what you don’t know.

You are the expert on your business. How much better would your strategy be if you understood the factors and logic behind whether or not to file a patent application?

Given the eventual investment that might go into one or more patent applications, and given the potential upside, would you rather gain that expertise yourself or take a chance on picking between the conflicting advice of expensive legal professionals?

Rather than just outsourcing patent decisions and strategy to your lawyer, join The IP Link’s Product Protection Playbook program and finally gain the understanding you need to make the right decisions on how to optimize your IP so that it benefits your business.

Learn more here: https://theiplink.com/patent-playbook/

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Not All Businesses Need a Patent, But Most Should Consider it Carefully

It does not make sense for all businesses to file a patent application.

This decision depends on your industry, investment, revenue, aspirations, business model, product, price point, and many other factors.

For many businesses, it’s relatively easy to determine that they don’t need to spend time or money filing a patent. For others, it’s clear that they do need a patent. The vast majority of businesses, however, are in the middle. For these businesses, determining whether or not they need a patent requires a concerted effort to review the opportunity, risks, and costs and to develop an approach and strategy.

The IP Link’s Product Protection Playbook program helps business founders evaluate patents and gain clarity on where they fit in this spectrum. The results of this work may reveal that patents don’t make sense. On the other hand, it may show that they are a great opportunity!

If you think you might be missing out on an opportunity to level up your business, watch my patent training webinar which includes a discussion of potential risks, costs, and benefits of a patent (link in the comments).

#business #strategy #intellectualproperty #patents #patentstrategy #innovation #founders

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How will you use your patent?

Let’s say you decide to file a patent for $8,000 – $12,000, then within the subsequent year, you pay another $10,000 to maintain it.

What will you do with your patent application? How will it benefit your business? Will it bring more value than you paid?

As business strategy questions, not legal questions, these are not questions your patent lawyer will likely help you with.

You need to be the expert.

You need a deep enough understanding of the patent process to be able to determine how you will use your patent after your lawyer submits your application for you.

If you plan for this BEFORE drafting and filing your application, it will greatly improve your ability to use your patent effectively. Also, the prep work will help you work with your lawyer more efficiently, may bring the legal fees down, and will result in a far better patent application.

If you’re considering filing a patent application within the next few months, make sure to become an expert on how your patent will impact your business and do the right kind of preparation well in advance by joining The IP Link’s new Product Protection Playbook™️ program.

Also, let me know in the comments below if you have filed a patent in the past, what benefit did it bring to your business? If you haven’t yet, do you have a plan for your patent once it’s filed?

#intellectualproperty #preparation #help #strategy #business #patent #patents

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Focus on the near-term benefits of patents, not enforcement

Enforcement is the process where you start sending cease-and-desist letters and even suing infringers for manufacturing or selling products that overlap with your patent.  

Worried about having to enforce your patent once you file?

You might be worrying about problems you won’t have for many years, if ever. Instead, focus on the near-term benefits of filing a patent application! Watch the video below and let me know your thoughts by commenting on this post!