Quality Patents

​​Patently Strategic - Patent Strategy for Startups

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Is your patent a vanity piece of paper for your office wall? Or is it a reliable, defendable, assertable, property right? The difference is often quality.
Is your patent simply a transactional cost and a large pile of legal bills for your startup? Or is it a leverageable asset worthy of attracting precious investment dollars, worth its cost in multiples of valuation? The difference is often quality.
Is your patent application only good enough to get through the examination process? Or has it been crafted to stand the tests of time and varied audiences if you later need to assert that document against an infringer, find yourself litigating with it in an Article 3 Court at the hands of a judge and jury, God forbid, end up having to defend its validity at the PTAB, or even needing to use it to block pirated imports at the International Trade Commission? The difference is often quality.
Quality will be our focus for a good chunk of the remainder of this season. What goes into a quality patent, and where possible, how do you get it without breaking the bank?
** Episode Overview **
In this first episode of our quality series, Kristen Hansen and the panel discuss:
⦿ What do we mean when we say patent quality?
⦿ Why is patent quality important?
⦿ How to balance quality and budget
⦿ The importance of searching, continuations, and draftsperson domain expertise
⦿ Very practical tips, tricks, examples, and Kristen’s Musts for drafting quality applications
** Mossoff Minute **
In this month's Mossoff Minute, in honor of celebrating America’s independence, we’re flashing back to our conversation with Professor Adam Mossoff about why patents exist, how the US system differed from all predecessors, and how the Founders’ notions of the core principles of democracy are inextricably linked with the societal good that comes from innovation and intellectual property protection.
** Discussed Links **
⦿ Patent Anatomy: https://www.aurorapatents.com/blog/new-podcast-patent-anatomy
⦿ Claim Construction: https://www.aurorapatents.com/blog/claim-construction
⦿ Patent Wars: https://www.aurorapatents.com/blog/patent-wars-innovators-revolutionaries-and-the-race-to-reform
⦿ American Inventor Horror Story: https://www.aurorapatents.com/blog/new-podcast-american-inventor-horror-story

** Follow Aurora Patents **
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Thanks for listening!
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Note: The contents of this podcast do not constitute legal advice.

Chapter

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. Mossoff Minute: Patents and the Founders (00:05:39)

3. What is patent quality? (00:10:40)

4. Patent office vs inventor perspective (00:12:59)

5. Why is patent quality important? (00:16:06)

6. Quality vs value (00:21:55)

7. Patent searching (00:22:48)

8. Tips, tricks, and examples (00:26:25)

9. Describe every claim in the spec (00:27:05)

10. Use proofreading software (00:30:46)

11. Do not use patent profanity and understand case law (00:33:15)

12. Keep background sections short (00:40:00)

13. Understand field of prior art (00:41:39)

14. Use a jury figure (00:41:49)

15. Draft alternative embodiments (00:43:18)

16. Disclose best mode, but... (00:43:53)

17. Claim breadth drafting tips (00:44:10)

18. Consider continuations (00:47:26)

19. Draft to be foreign friendly (00:50:28)

20. Tips for quicker, but quality drafting (00:52:47)

21. Words are very important (00:53:46)

22. Key takeaways (00:55:58)

23. Outro (01:03:03)