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Actively Manage Patents for Better ROI
A lack of time and resources often undermines the value of small and medium enterprise ('SME') and individual inventor owned patents. By placing attention and energy on their intellectual property as they do on product development, companies can dramatically increase the value derived from their IP and greatly enhance their overall success.
Strong intellectual property and wise management of it are a prerequisite for success in today's knowledge-based economy. With more than 80% of most companies' net value consisting of intangible assets, of which patents are the most notable, careful attention to developing and nurturing these valuable assets is critical. While much has been written about the trapped value of intangible assets in the Fortune 500, the same if not greater entrapment occurs in small and medium sized companies because many SMEs lack the resources to properly exploit IP. Indeed, patents are not just the domain of large companies. Small companies typically generate significantly more patents per employee than large businesses and represent 20%-30% of all active high technology U.S. patents.
To be successful, it is imperative that small companies and individual inventors maximize return on their investment dollars. Unfortunately, lack of time, lack of resources, and a too-narrow focus on product development contribute to a suboptimal return. Broadening the focus to include leveraging intellectual property assets as a supplement to revenues derived from successful products can make the difference between just hanging on and vibrant success. By placing IP on equal footing with product development, new opportunities can be identified to accelerate growth.
Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright Laws
This article highlights how copyright law in the United Kingdom differs from U.S. copyright law, and points out differences that may be crucial to entertainment and media businesses familiar with U.S law that are interested in operating in the United Kingdom or under UK law. The article also briefly addresses contrasts in UK and U.S. trademark law.
The Article 8 Opt In
The Article 8 opt-in election adds an additional layer of complexity to the already labyrinthine rules governing perfection of security interests under the UCC. A lender that is unaware of the nuances created by the opt in (may find its security interest vulnerable to being primed by another party that has taken steps to perfect in a superior manner under the circumstances.
Strategy vs. Tactics: Two Sides of a Difficult Coin
With each successive large-scale cyber attack, it is slowly becoming clear that ransomware attacks are targeting the critical infrastructure of the most powerful country on the planet. Understanding the strategy, and tactics of our opponents, as well as the strategy and the tactics we implement as a response are vital to victory.
Legal Possession: What Does It Mean?
Possession of real property is a matter of physical fact. Having the right or legal entitlement to possession is not "possession," possession is "the fact of having or holding property in one's power." That power means having physical dominion and control over the property.
The Anti-Assignment Override Provisions
UCC Sections 9406(d) and 9408(a) are one of the most powerful, yet least understood, sections of the Uniform Commercial Code. On their face, they appear to override anti-assignment provisions in agreements that would limit the grant of a security interest. But do these sections really work?