* Drawing That Explains The Value Of Startup Patent Spending

17 Seconds #58 – A Publication For Clients And Other VIPs Of Clocktower.

It is very easy for startups to underspend on patent protection.

It is very easy for startups to overspend on patent protection.

To maximize your return on investment (ROI), you have to spend the right amount.

If you underspend on patents, then you will have lost the opportunity to protect your ideas from the competition. Common mistakes include:

• launching a product before filing a patent on the product
• launching a product improvement before filing a patent on the product improvement
• filing a provisional patent application and letting it expire
• filing a “napkin provisional”
• filing a patent on something better protected by trade secret law

If you overspend on patents, then you have a huge opportunity cost: money that you should have spent on product instead. Common mistakes include:

• filing a patent application without doing a patent search
• filing a patent application that will never issue
• filing a patent application with missing parts
• filing a patent application in too many countries
• filing a patent application with a biglaw firm

I’ve written about these issues before (see “Related Articles” below), and I’ve described this drawing frequently to current and prospective clients. But I’ve never drawn it until now. Thanks to my daughter, Sonja, for cleaning it up for me!

Related Articles

1. * Don’t Launch Your Product – Unless You Want To Nuke Your Patent Portfolio (2018-03-17)
   17 Seconds #46
2. * When To File Patents In Europe And China (2017-10-17)
   17 Seconds #41
3. * How To Build A Startup: One Board At A Time, Be Yourself, Get Plants (2016-06-15)
   Top 11 tips for entrepreneurs.
4. * 17 Seconds #7 (2014-12-17)
   Don’t file a napkin provisional.
   17 Seconds gives you useful info quickly.
5. * Why Startups Should Always Do Patent Searches (2014-05-23)
   The USPTO will never require mandatory patent searching. But I can dream.
6. * The Who, What, Where, When, Why, And How Of Patents (2014-03-12)
   Patent law in plain English. But not in that order.
7. * Top 10 Things BigLaw Patent Lawyers Don’t Want You To Know (2012-09-26)
   And won’t tell you. Srsly.
8. * Men Of Great Genius: Venetian Senate, Patent Act of 1474 (2011-04-11)
   All modern patent statutes are derived from the Venetian Patent Act of 1474.
9. * Drawing That Explains Patent Costs (2007-08-17)
   How to control the cost of filing a patent.
10. * Patents vs. Trade Secrets (2002-02-05)
    The advantages and disadvantages of protecting business ideas with patents and trade secrets.

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* Drawing That Explains The Value Of Startup Patent Spending (2019-03-17)
17 Seconds #58 – A Publication For Clients And Other VIPs Of Clocktower.
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