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Synergizing Patents to Drive Innovation and Growth

By Siraj Husain
April 01, 2021

Companies have historically turned to patent pools as vehicles for achieving shared objectives. A patent pool can be formed when a group of patent holders agree to pool their patents for some purpose. For instance, members of a patent pool may agree to pool and license their patent rights to a third party in exchange for fees or royalties. In this scenario, the pooling companies may own complementary patents that enable a technical standard. Pooling the complementary patents can enable a licensee to develop a product or service. In another scenario, members of a patent pool may agree to pool and cross-license their patent rights to one another. This may occur when a group of companies are developing similar products and services. Here, the members can benefit from shared patent rights that allow them to focus more of their resources on developing their businesses and less on patent transactional and litigation expenses.

As intellectual property continues to influence business operations, more companies are considering defensive patent pools as a strategic measure to guard against threats that can stifle innovation and growth for both businesses and industries. The License on Transfer (LOT) Network and the Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance are two examples of defensive patent pools that can offer companies strategic value under the right circumstances. The value propositions provided by such organizations can benefit not just patent holders but also the innovation community at large, which is often instrumental to the advancement of new technologies.

License on Transfer (LOT) Network

The LOT Network is a well-known, nonprofit organization that was formed to protect companies from patent assertion entities. LOT's membership has grown exponentially since its inception in 2014 and now includes thousands of members that range from startups to global giants. These members collectively hold millions of patent assets across a broad spectrum of technologies. Notably, LOT's membership includes many of the largest holders of patents on artificial intelligence, blockchain, and quantum computing — all of which are emerging technologies that are expected to fundamentally alter the business landscape and remain of particular interest to patent seekers around the world.

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