IoT - Internet of Things, Technology and Patent Law Practice

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IoT, or the Internet of Things, is bound to impact healthcare, consumer goods, education, industrial manufacturing and transportation at an unexpected pace and to counter next-gen legal issues, proactive technology lawyers, international patent attorneys and strategic advisors are required to update their knowledge and skills regularly. Get in touch now to discuss your queries with experts in areas of intellectual property rights, patents, life sciences, high technology and corporate lawyers. IoT implies an infrastructure of networked physical objects forming an ecosystem including sensors, smart devices, networking capabilities, advanced data analytics and cloud services. Considering the complex nature of IoT, it presents various opportunities and challenges to multiple stakeholders, including consumers, technology corporations, software companies, hardware manufacturers and service providers. IoT – Applications and Examples Internet of things have penetrated across multiple industry sectors and IoT applications can be seen in transportation finance, healthcare, retail, industrial automation and even the military. Some of the IoT examples include iBeacon (retail), smart industrial machines by GE, drones with powerful sensors for military applications, etc. IoT Characteristics Products embodying internet of things possess certain core characteristics, including, limited user interface (UI), limited processing power, limited bandwidth and limited battery life. Such characteristics provide a perfect combination for IoT applications that demand massive outreach without burdening the infrastructure. Legal Aspects IoT devices and applications cover a diverse range of innovations eligible for creation of intellectual property rights by way of patents. Valuable patent portfolios can be created by focusing on patentable inventions, which get approved after preliminary prior art searches and patentability analysis. Freedom to Operate – Joint Patent Infringement Innovations can be launched after ensuring that there exists freedom to operate and any third party patent rights will not be infringed. In case of IoT based innovations, scenarios of joint patent infringement may be possible considering the interactive and collaborative nature of the Internet of Things. While drafting patent claims and writing patent applications for IoT based inventions, quality of patent is crucial for highlighting the inventiveness and novelty of the technology. In use, majority of innovations belong to the field of consumer devices and software. Secondly, patents protecting next generation technological innovations may set industry standards or utilize existing ones, such as, BLE, 6LoWPAN, etc. Since most of inventions in this space are collaborative and interactive, patent owners may face patent enforcement issues. Valuable IP and Patent Portfolios can be developed to include Internet of Things based innovations, which can be commercialized & monetized

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