A patent is a property right for an invention granted by a government to the inventor. A United States patent gives inventors the right "to exclude others" from making, using, offering for sale, or selling their invention throughout the United States or importing their invention into the United States. In exchange for this monopolistic protection, the inventor must publicly disclose the invention (the patent document) and must pay the United States Patent Office (USPTO.gov) to prosecute (application fees) and maintain (maintenance fees) the patent.

Building such a fortress around the invention makes it difficult for others to use the invention without getting a license. Depending on the policy of the organization and the type of the invention, the organization can then grant either exclusive or nonexclusive licenses to use the product. There are several ways to protect IP, but one should always remember that protecting IP is expensive. Therefore, an organization needs to think carefully about its competitors, likely infringers, and the geographical area where the invention is to be marketed. Sometimes keeping an invention as a trade secret might be the cheapest way to protect it. Sometimes patenting, even if more expensive, might give better protection. Finding the best way to build and protect an IP portfolio requires imagination, in addition to a thorough knowledge of the company and its product lines. A comprehensive IP portfolio can be of substantial value to both private and public sector entities. For both sectors, patents are a key element of an IP portfolio. Large companies can afford an offensive patent strategy, but small companies may not have the necessary resources for this. Therefore, especially for small- and middle-sized companies, proper planning and parallel thinking is required to develop an effective and cost efficient strategy. Join the IP Street community and learn more about protecting your intellectual property. We have developed a comprehensive network of patent lawyers to connect you to others that can help license, protect and commercialize your idea. Patent infringement is a serious threat and protecting your invention or patent idea is critical.

The competitive landscape can be brutal, and commonly is referred to as the Red Ocean--you know, blood in the water with sharks lurking about (yeah, a few lawyer jokes come to mind, but I will restrain myself). Research at Harvard Business Review and elsewhere suggests that the most profitable business strategies are related to finding and/or creating Blue Ocean to reap rewards in a new space. How does that relate to studying patent data? Simple. You first need to understand what patents already exist in the invention-space. Second you need to understand and articulate how your invention is unique. Next you need to write your patent so it makes as many unique and new claims as it possibly can. Then you need to consider all possible opportunities to secure and expand your space. In IP lawyer-speak, this means that your invention needs to have a valid legal scope. If you find out, using our tools, that your invention is in a very competitive space (sharks in the bloody ocean), you may want to forego the costs associated with pursuing patent protection. IPstreet.com can help by searching millions of patents and simplifying the complexities of the data into an intuitive "scatter plot" that identifies your idea in context of the universe of patents and patent-pending applications. Ultimately, we can provide important business intelligence from the immense and excessive information available. Our goal is to take TMI (too much information) and report it to you which will better inform your business decisions. If you are searching for questions such as, "how to patent my idea, " or "how to patent my idea," then you've come to the right place. IPStreet.com's patent search tools are designed with you in mind. Using the patent search software, you can better understand how to patent your invention or patent idea, patent duration and find an experienced patent lawyers.

The adage "you get what you pay for" certainly is meaningful in the IP legal landscape. However, it is a challenge to get new, first-time inventors in the door to start discussing why they should retain an patent lawyer. With our co-branding options, we can help advance potential clientele through your pipeline. Become a co-branding partner and we will generate a promotional code to your potential clientele that will give them a discount on our services (10% savings). When they login, your logo will be co-branded with our software, a subtle reminder to the potential client.

Most of our competitors emphasize the importance of "deep 'prior art' searches." In their efforts to show you how technically capable they are, they seem to forget the importance of returning results that (1) are interpretable, (2) have practical meaning, and (3) are transparently sophisticated. Our promise to you is that we will continue to focus on the types of questions you need answered and will improve our patent search tools based on your needs. At IPstreet.com, we use a very sophisticated search technology called "Concept Searching" that allows you to enter a lengthy description of your invention, product, or idea, and compare it to the universe of granted patents and patent applications in the United States using data from the USPTO. Using our patent analytic search tools, we offer you patent analytics software that is sophisticated, transparent, and meaningful results. Our patent search tools are top of the line. We understand patent searches are important when answering the questions, is my idea patentable, how to patent an idea and what is the best patent search service available?