More Related Content Similar to IP & patent strategy for startups (20) IP & patent strategy for startups1.
A
Business
Perspec9ve
on
IP
Strategy
for
Startups
and
Early
Stage
Companies
Peter
Cowan,
P.Eng,
MBA.
www.ipstrategy.ca
@noremacc
©
2013
IPStrategy.ca
Page
1
2. Agenda
Focus:
Strategy
in
the
Context
of
a
Startup
The
WHY
• IP
Toolkit
• Innova9on
Cycles
• Business
Posi9oning
• TALCs,
MVPs
and
Pivots
• Technology
Mapping
• Planning
and
Budgets
• Lean
Startup
• Filing
Strategies
Methodology
• Quality
vs.
Quan9ty
Business
Opera9onal
• SoRware
Patents
View
View
Ac9on
Investor
Plans
and
View
Successes
• Exits
&
Growth
Plans
• Lessons
Learned
• Investor
Protec9on
• Ac9ons
for
Success
The
HOW
©
2013
IPStrategy.ca
Page
2
3. Business
View
Why:
The
Business
View
©
2013
IPStrategy.ca
Page
3
4. Why
do
(smart)
startups
need
an
IP
Strategy?
Business
Posi*oning
Poor
Business
Drivers
• Prepare
for
future
• Enforcement
&
Cross
acquisi9on
license
plans
• Prepare
for
future
defense
• Compe9tor
preven9on
• Prepare
for
hyper-‐growth
• Thinking
‘You
have
to
play
• Business
Partners
&
the
game’
Investors
• You
have
to
play
the
game
Risk
&
ROI,
for
both
short
and
long
term,
before
a
startup
implements
the
Strategy
of
Patent
Filings.
©
2013
IPStrategy.ca
Page
4
5. Why
IP
Strategy
strengthens
the
Business
Strategy
• Map
business
to
technology
– Validates
whitespace
tech
analysis
– Compe99ve
monitoring
&
posi9on
• Lean
Startup
/
Canvas
interac9on
– Ins9gates
a
Technology
Pivot
– Defines
Unique
Value
Proposi9on
&
Unfair
Advantage
©
2013
IPStrategy.ca
Page
5
6. Investors
&
Exits
Why:
Investors
Perspec9ves
©
2013
IPStrategy.ca
Page
6
7. Investors
&
Exits
Exits,
Growth
Plans
&
Investor
Considera*ons
• “Just
get
something
filed”
• Early
stage
technical
acquisi9on
vs.
SME
acquisi9on
stage
• Technical
Buyouts
vs.
market
acquisi9ons
• Investor
Perspec9ves
change
at:
Startup
à
Small
à
Medium
à
Large
à
Mul9na9onal
En9ty
When
talking
with
investors,
Infringement
&
Protec9on
are
not
the
same
conversa9on
©
2013
IPStrategy.ca
Page
7
8. Opera9onal
View
How:
The
Opera9onal
View
©
2013
IPStrategy.ca
Page
8
9. IP
Strategy
Toolkit
Analy*cs
&
Analysis
Internal
Processes
• Technology
Landscaping
• Harves9ng
à
Evalua9on
à
• State
of
the
Art
searches
Filing
– Idea
Ranking
&
Priority
• IP
Landscape
analysis
– Review
Comminees
• Compe99ve
IP
pormolio
– IDF
(Disclosure
Forms)
analysis
– Business
/
Strategy
Valida9on
• Whitespace
or
Overlap
• HR,
Culture
&
Climate
analysis
Analy*cs
–
Informa*on
&
Knowledge
Process
–
Deliverables
&
Ac*ons
©
2013
IPStrategy.ca
Page
9
10. Inside
the
Innova9on
Cycle
In
Prac*ce:
Where
IP
integrates
into
the
work
cycle
Product
Ideas
Team
(People)
Pain
Points
Deployment
Market
Customers
Technology
Needs
Idea
Capture
Evalua9on
&
Design
MVP
/
Launch
Timing
of
Ac9ons
Validate
the
Idea:
Novelty
and
Freedom
to
Operate
Posi9on
in
the
market:
Technology
&
IP
Landscapes
Harvest:
Idea
review
&
Rank
Evaluate:
IDF,
Validate
&
Rank
Filing:
DraRing
&
Filing
9ming
©
2013
IPStrategy.ca
Page
10
11. Filing
Strategies
Filing
Strategy
Depends
on
Market:
• Offensive
For
Further
Reading:
– Disrup9ve
Technology
Visionary
– Early
Adopter
&
Market
Leadership
– Founda9on
IP
Integrated
• Defensive
Profit
Center
– Pre-‐emp9ve
destruc9on
Cost
Control
– Design
Freedom
Defensive
• Patent
Trolls
• Mul9na9onals
vs.
SME’s
• The
posi9on
of
Startups
in
the
IP
Value
Herarchy
©
2013
IPStrategy.ca
Page
11
12. TALCs,
MVPs
and
Pivot
pimalls
Patent
Scope
&
Timing
of
Filings:
• Early
Market
protec9on
• Main
Street
coverage
• Beachhead
and
Bowling
Pins
• MVP:
Bar
Dates
for
release
• MVP:
MVP
2.0
coverage
• Pivots:
Timing
and
scope
of
filings,
provisional
filings
Risk
&
ROI
again:
Most
startups
have
mul9ple
pivots,
and
IP
needs
to
adjust
each
9me.
©
2013
IPStrategy.ca
Page
12
13. Planning
&
Budgets
Basic
Legal
Budgets
Basic
Business
Budgets
• Novelty
Assessment
or
PA
• Landscape:
$5-‐10k
searches:
$1-‐2k
• Analy9cs:
$5-‐20k+
• FTO:
$2-‐5k
• IP
Strategy:
$10-‐20k
• Invalidity
/
Validity:
$5-‐8k
• Drivers:
• Provisional:
$2-‐4k
– Advisory
Boards,
Investors
• Filings:
$7-‐15k
– CTO/CEO,
etc.
Rules
of
Thumb:
Timeline:
3-‐4
months
lead
9me
People:
10-‐40
hours
IP
Strategy
for
generally
the
cost
Budget:
Y1
@
$10+k
Y2-‐4
@
4k/yr
+
global
of
filing
one
patent
expansion
©
2013
IPStrategy.ca
Page
13
14. Quan9ty
vs.
Quality
Relevant
IP
à
Reducing
the
Patent
Value
Gap
Leverage
Protect
Divest
Value
of
Patent
Pormolio
Patent
Strategy
Focus
Patent
Value
Gap
Single
or
Mined
Product
Ideas
may
fit
here
5%
75%
100%
Percent
(%)
of
Patent
Pormolio
©
2013
IPStrategy.ca
Page
14
15. Quality
Predictors
Filing
Predictors
of
Value:
Quality
Thinking:
• Provisional
Filings
Idea
aligned
with
• Family
Size
business
goals
and
• Breadth
across
IPC
classes
technology
direc9on
• Claim
Counts
Legally
Enforceable
and
Licensable
Economic
Value
©
2013
IPStrategy.ca
Page
15
16. SoRware
Considera9ons
Do
you
really
need
IP
@
the
startup
phase?
• Resources
&
cost
alloca9on
in
the
overall
business
• Speed
of
product
and
market
change
• Speed
of
Lean
Startup
itera9ons
vs.
patent
costs
• Long
game
benefits
• Pure
soRware
vs.
integrated
with
technology
Not
filing
IP
is
a
viable
strategy
if
alternate
planning
is
done
©
2013
IPStrategy.ca
Page
16
17. Ac9on
Plans
&
Successes
How:
Ac9on
Plans
&
Successes
©
2013
IPStrategy.ca
Page
17
18. Lessons
Learned
• Growth:
Facebook’s
$500M
pormolio
acquisi9on
• NDA’s:
Techforward
vs.
BestBuy
• Posi*oning:
Datum
Telegraphic
&
PMC-‐Sierra
• Disrup*ve
Technology:
Honeywell
vs.
Nest
• Essen*als:
i4i
vs.
MicrosoR
• Lost
Opportunity:
GoPro
&
sports
cam
industry
©
2013
IPStrategy.ca
Page
18
19. Ac9ons
for
Success
• IP
&
Accountability:
Board
of
Advisers
• CTO
/
IP:
Planning
Cycle
• Culture
imprint
• Project
Impacts:
Development
Process
• Legal
Points:
Ownership,
Publica9ons,
IDFs,
Log
Books,
NDA’s,
Bar
Dates,
Filing
Plans…
©
2013
IPStrategy.ca
Page
19