Patent tip: indicate your protection!

Products with clear indications of protection get less copied!

It is always advisable to put a patent number or a patent pending on your products, once a patent application has been filed.

Why? 

It educates the public that there is protection applied for or that there is a protective right in force. More importantly, it warns potential infringers to be cautious about copying. Products with clear protection indications are less likely to be copied, and lawsuits against infringers are more likely to succeed.

Example

The Legaignoux brothers are the inventors of the inflatable kites, which was a true revolution in water sports. These inflatable kites could be relaunched from water, without the danger of loosing the kite, or worse the danger of loosing your life altogether. In 1985 they have filed for a patent and after their patent being filed and granted, the inventors have searched for and found numerous licensees.

Figures from the EP0202271 European Patent for tube  kites.

The first licensee, Neil Pride, who was selling the kites under the Wipika brand took a license only in 1997, 12 years after the first patent has been filed. The producers Naish and North followed soon, later most brands followed in licensing this technology [1,2].

Patent marking on one of the original R3, one of the early Naish kites, designed for kitesurfing.

Since then more than a million kites with the Legaignoux technology have been sold globally. Quite a success!

Number of tube-kites sold annually, the arrows indicate the start and expiry of the
first patent on tube-kites. the Numbers originate from various sources [3,4]

Without protecting and licensing, and without informing potential competitors, the two brothers and inventors would not have had such a profitable return on their truly lifetime investment. They did contribute to the world by introducing a new and exciting sport. And they created a global market now worth over 321 million US$ [4].

To all innovators: indicate the protection on your products well!

References and sources:

[1] About the inflatable kite: http://inflatablekite.com

[2] About the history of kite surfing: http://www.inmotionkitesurfing.com/2013/history-of-kiteboarding

[3] SBC Kiteboard: http://fksa.org/showthread.php?p=50397
http://www.sbckiteboard.com/news_article?news_id=2206 [available as link only in the internet archive, numbers are still available]

[4] Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitesurfing

are patents like nature?

There are some striking similarities between patents and nature.

If we look at the human genome for instance, it comprises some 3 billion (10^9) base pairs, coding for 1 billion amino acids. In the human genome some 33 000 genes have been distinguished, meaning that the average gene is about 30 000 characters in size. 

If we look at the size of a patent, it is about 6000 words on average. Since each word counts 5 characters on average, a patent is about 30 000 characters in size. 

This means, that an average gene equals an average patent in information size.

Is that a coincidence? probably not! A gene is a condensed way of providing sufficient information to code for a feature in nature, whereas a patent is a condensed way of providing information for a feature in technology. Both in a gene and in a patent there is a sort of optimum, between on the one hand sufficiency of disclosure to work the invention (to work the gene) and on the other hand the over-expense of resources and effort. Apparently this optimum lies both in our genes and in our patents at a similar size of information load. How cool is that!

Furthermore, If we look for instance at the total human genome, about 3% is coding, in other words 97% of our DNA can be considered "junk". If we look at the portion of all patents being filed, that is commercially successful, this is also about 3%. So in patents as well 97% can be considered "junk". 

Finally, if we consider those genes or patents that belong to this so called successful 3%, there is a typical growth curve that is again very much alike.  

So patents are very similar to nature! 

References to sources of information will follow soon!

Patent tip:The next innovation to die

Innovations come and go. More adequately innovations come by foot and leave by horse, much like trust. An illustrative example is the development of wind powered mechanics in the Netherlands. From the dutch website molendatabase.nl, I've distilled the number of active windmills throughout eight centuries. Eight centuries! Here is what has happened:

Windmill technology was virtually wiped out first by steam engines, later on by internal combustion engines and electrically driven engines. An entire technology, which evolved and developed in seven centuries has -within one century- become entirely obsolete*.

Steam engines themselves underwent the same fate, as the following image illustrates:

So who is next?

Well, if we see the rapid change in electrical energy generation, as is illustrated by a pair of simple S-curve fits on historic data of the global electrical energy consumption (blue) and the globally installed solar PV peak power (orange):

It is no surprise that traditional electricity generation is facing the same fate windmills and steam engines have experienced. Only this time it will be faster and more severe! Within the coming nine years, most electricity power stations as we know them will be either demolished, or kept as a museum for educational and nostalgic values. If you are aiming to invest, shorting traditional electrical power is likely to be one of the best investment options ever.

This is a transformation of virtually biblical proportions, yet, no-one seems to grasp.

I can only say: enjoy the show, it is happening RIGHT NOW!





Note:

The number of windmills in the Netherlands is rising again. Next to about 1000 traditional windmills, about 700 wind generators are currently installed. I will address a blog to this alternative clean power generation technology.


Sources:

www.molendatabase.nl

http://octrooifabriek.blogspot.nl/2013/01/betting-on-solar-power.html

Historical USA Sensus data

Holiday greetings

Well, we like to have fun!

Brick Chick, our aeronautical engineer!

Never stop playing, have a nice Holiday!!!!!

Hendrik de Lange

Patent tip:Patents contribute to prosperity

What would be the effect on the economy of abolishing the entire patent system? 

Well in order to get an answer, we have to look in to the quite amazing history of the Dutch patent system. From 1869 to 1912 there was none. Indeed, the entire Dutch patent system has been abolished for 43 years. 

During this patent absent era, Dutch economy did not do too well. At the start of this era, Holland was leading in wealth measured in gross domestic product per capita, when compared to its closest neighbors. During the patent absent era, Holland fell back to lagging in wealth. Only in the mid 1920ties, after a reinstated patent law in 1912, Holland grew back to a wealth similar to that of Belgium and Germany.  

Those advocating abolishment of the patent systems, please study this historical statistical information well!  

Unitary patent; To opt in or not to opt in that is the question.

The new unitary patent renewal fee schedule is in the making. The most likely proposal is the top 4 country model, providing a 75% reduction of the annuity fees. That is good news! 

Innovation better than sex?

For the celebration of the fourth anniversary of my company, I gave a little speech. It is about innovation and the comparison between innovation and sex, concluding that... well have a look at the video and see for yourself. Please post some comments if you like, don't be too harsh on me it is my first video presentation. Thank you for watching!

Hendrik de Lange
Patent attorney at Octrooifabriek B.V.