So, do new startups have to apply for patents?
The answer given by Sinosoft Group is that it should be treated in separate cases. Some start-ups do not have high technology content, and they will not encounter technical monopoly in the short term, and they mainly profit by improving user experience, product development speed, and user volume. Such enterprises can temporarily not apply for patents. Some companies have relatively high technical requirements for their products, or the companies themselves are created according to inventions. Such companies need to apply for patents to achieve a certain technical monopoly. The purpose is to make competitors bypass these technologies when developing products.
In addition, the Zhongshensoft Group should remind the startup company that it is better to not only apply for a single patent when applying for a patent application, but to apply for 5-10 patents so that its patents form a complete patent portfolio. Form a complete and valuable patent portfolio. Because the product uses only a single patent, it is easily copied by competitors. Only when the company applies the technology surrounding the product including the patent at the same time, can the company's products be brought larger. Competitive advantage.
Patent application, time is very important
With respect to patent applications, one issue that startup companies need to pay attention to is the time of patents. Enterprises should apply their core inventions and technologies related to core inventions systematically to apply for patents before the products are released to the public to maintain their competitive advantages. Because according to the Chinese patent law, if a new product of a company uses a new invention, once the product is made public, the invention cannot be patented, which means that the inventor cannot legally seek to protect the product.
Patent mining should establish incentive mechanisms
Regarding how to tap product patents, start-up companies should establish a standardized process in patent management to encourage the most knowledgeable R&D personnel to tap technologies that can be applied for patents, and gather the power of everyone to tap the most worthy patent protection companies. Innovation, patent application, to form a valuable patent portfolio.
Encouraging people to tap patents first forms a process. For example, the company can specify some related forms. The form protects some issues to stimulate relevant personnel to think, like R&D personnel, company management personnel, etc., to let them say what they think about the product, and What technologies and ideas are needed to improve a product? After collecting these ideas, companies need a professional evaluation of intellectual property-related managers or external legal experts to see if these technologies are patentable.
Encouraging employees to tap product patents, but there are still not enough processes, but also need to establish a complete reward mechanism. For example, to give a certain reward to the R & D personnel of the patent application invention, and encourage them to continue to work hard for product innovation.
Patent Pledge, Bringing Funds for Business Development
Intellectual property not only protects the company's products, it is also an intangible asset of the company. Companies can gain benefits through the operation of their own intellectual property rights. When the company is operating in a difficult situation, it can also use the company’s intellectual property rights to obtain business. Working capital.
Enterprises can obtain intellectual property transfer fees through intellectual property licensing. Enterprises can also use patent rights as collateral for loans to banks. However, the conditions under which banks accept intellectual property secured loans are more stringent, and the amount of loans is also controlled.
Of course, companies can also use trusts of intellectual property rights to entrust trustees to manage operations or transfer the technology and gain profits; enterprises can also securitize intellectual property. Intellectual property can be isolated as a securitization asset and its Sold to the relevant agency, which issues the bond to investors.