These are some basic questions VCs and Investors ask before investing in a start-up. What is the value of Intellectual Property (IP) for the start-up's business, revenues and competitive advantage in the market? Is the start up IP driven? How strong is the start-up’s IP portfolio when compared with its competitors? Is the IP ownership clear, and are all link documents in place? Will the IP Portfolio help in retaining revenues, and opening new revenue opportunities? Is the start-up’s IP…
Clearing IP Risks is very important before starting a business. A mistake with respect to this can kill a start-up. Some basic IP clearance steps to be taken by all start-ups and entrepreneurs are: Patent Risk Clearance Check if your business idea is the subject of any IP/Patent protection by another person or entity. Perform a patent search to check if any patents cover any aspect of your business. If your business or technology falls within…
Glad tidings to all our readers! It is a happy Onam indeed, as Kerela adds another feather to its GI hat. Besides the ‘Palakkadan matta’ rice, ‘Vazhakkulam’ pineapple, ‘Pokkali’ rice, Wayanadan’ scented rice varieties ‘Gandhakasala’ and ‘Jeerakasala’ and Central Travancore jiggery, the ‘Changalikodan’ banana variety has also found a place in the GI list. The news of Kerela’s famous Nendran banana variety “Changalikodan” getting GI status was made official recently at a public event, by the Thrissur district panchayat president…
This checklist provides some of the basic steps every start-up must take to protect its intellectual assets.
Patent Protection
Identification of inventions with potential for patent filings
Patent Search and Patentability Analysis
Inventor Assignment Agreement Execution – To transfer all rights to the start-up
Provisional or complete patent filing
Foreign Filing Permit, if required
PCT, or foreign patent filing
Patent pending notice on relevant materials
Trade Mark Protection
Shortlisting of Marks
Identification of relevant classes of business
Trademark Clearance Search…
The Indian Patent Office, after extensive consultative process, has issued an Order by which Chapter 08.03.05.10 of the Manual of Patent Office Practice and Procedure (MPPP), containing provisions pertaining to section 3(k) of the Patents Act, 1970, will stand deleted and replaced by the provisions of the new Guidelines, for examination of Computer Related Inventions (CRIs), with immediate effect.
The Guidelines, while outlining the legal provisions related to CRIs, extensively demonstrates what ‘Patentable Subject Matter’ means and what parameters are…
The post below has been previously published on 9th December, 2014. Besides minor dated references, the post gives a basic understanding of how start-ups can raise funds and get investments from venture capitals and other investors, through their intellectual assets. Funding activities during the last quarter, especially when it comes to start ups, was great! Apart from the US$ 1 Billion Fundraising by Flipkart, India saw several start ups being funded at various levels. A Report indicates 93 deals…
More often than not, start-ups focus on protecting their intellectual property, but ignore risks from intellectual property of third parties. IP of third parties may kill a business if appropriate risk clearance measures are not taken at the right time. While protecting IP is very important for start-ups and entrepreneurs, avoiding or mitigating risks from IP of third parties is even more important. A start-up company must take necessary steps to avoid the risk of infringing IP of third parties.…
The post below highlights the achievements of the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library or TKDL in the previous decade.
20 years ago, two patents pushed the Indian government into a full panic mode. These two patents were none other than the infamous Turmeric and Neem patents. In 1995, Suman K. Das and Hari Har P. Cohly were granted a US patent on ‘Use of Turmeric in Wound Healing’, and in the same year, WR Grace was granted a patent for neem-based bio…
Copyright protects ideas expressed on a tangible form. The expression may be in the form of literary work like website content, brochure content etc, photographic work such as pictures used on website, brochures, etc, artistic work like layout of website, drawings, etc, cinematographic work such as promotional videos, support videos, etc, and so on. Protection of copyrights provides several business and competitive advantages to startups and entrepreneurs. A startup company must protect its marketing materials, documents, websites and so on…
Recently the Times of India reported that IndiGo Airlines, one of the premier airline companies operating from India, with more than 100 flights daily, had landed in a trademark dispute with Tata Motors, another automobile giant and proprietors of the car TATA INDIGO. It is interesting to note that although Inter Globe (Prorpietors of IndiGo Airlines) and Tata Motors have been disputing for the past ten years, before the Indian Trademark Office, the news of the existence of such a dispute has…