The Zuru Example - 5 tips for making a splash with patent pro...

5 tips for making a splash with patent protection

Kiwi firm Zuru made headlines this week for winning ~$18million in a patent infringement action in the US.  Patents can be useful commercial tools to put your company in a winning position in your own markets (although payouts by US juries are notoriously high by international standards). 

Patent protection gives you a 20 year monopoly in an inventive product or process. 

Here are 5 top tips to position a typical kiwi company be a winner with patents: 

• Identify innovations that might give you an advantage over competitors.
• Before launch, talk to your Patent Attorney about protecting your invention with a Provisional Patent Application.
• Use the next year to promote and research.
• Target protection to markets where you will either sell or make a lot of products.
• License local partners to distribute products and enforce your rights.

The Zuru example is a reminder that innovation doesn’t have to be complicated to be valuable.  To discuss protecting your intellectual property, contact our Registered Patent Attorney, Virginia Nichols.