The hysteria against software patents continues around the globe, threatening to hinder the most important aspects of the knowledge economy in favor of clinging to old industrial age paradigms. The real problem with software patents has been the large number of poor quality patents issued by the US Patent and Trademark Office due to bad …
Among the many burdens entrepreneurs face is the outright theft of their IP by companies that specialize in ripping off others by making counterfeits or knock-offs. It’s a horrific problem in China, in spite of increasing enforcement efforts by authorities. Part of the problem is that the cost of being caught is relatively small, so …
The Burden of Counterfeiting, and Apple’s Clever Response to Fake Chargers Read More »
A former technical expert at one of the world’s most famous consumer product companies told me of a hiring decision that made $80,000 for one executive, hurt several careers, cost the company millions of dollars, and crushed innovation in a once-promising unit of the company. This recipe for innovation fatigue has numerous variations, but they …
Perverse Incentives and Personal Greed: A Recipe for Innovation Fatigue Read More »
For big business, life would be simpler without patents. Then success would be determined by factors related to size such as lobbying budget, marketing prowess, and the combined power of your legal team. Upstarts could be squashed and cleared out of the way or acquired for a pittance. That’s not how our economic system is …
A few years ago, K2 Energy, an innovative start-up with a breakthrough in smart batteries offering several performance advantages over existing battery technologies in the market, was on the verge of finally commercializing their technology. They had just won the support of significant investors, and over $20 million in funding was about to be received. …
Generous Government Help: Innovation Fatigue Lessons from A123 and K2 Read More »
One of the vexing problems in patent enforcement is the high uncertainty in litigation caused in part by a particular legal principles in the U.S. dating back to a 1996 court case, Cybor Corp. v. FAS Technologies, Inc., in which the Federal Circuit concluded that claim interpretation–the critically important step of determining what the clams …
A Chance to Decrease the Uncertainty in Patent Enforcement Read More »
Billionaire Mark Cuban, after complaining about patent lawyers making too much money, condemned the US patent system for blocking innovation. He and some other wealthy elites are troubled by US patent rights and would like to dismantle large parts of the system. This is a growing and troubling trend. The voices in the tech community …
Abandon the US Patent System? Sure, If Killing Innovation is Your Goal Read More »
After a charming 10-day trip to New Zealand, several things stood out in my mind: the overwhelming beauty of its landscapes and vegetation, the abundance of resources its islands have, the cleanness of the air and water, the friendliness and resourcefulness of its people, and the difficulty of getting basic Internet in an advanced nation. …
New Zealand: Innovation Fatigue and the Internet Read More »
In many large corporations, there’s a painful and frequently repeated scenario of invention theft that we treat in several ways in the book, Conquering Innovation Fatigue. The invention theft I’m thinking of today is not from foreign spies or evil competitors. It is internal theft, wherein a powerful employee or team within a corporation takes …
Time Travel Is Easy: How to Send Your Company Back to the Dark Ages Read More »
Brand management is essential in consumer products and many B2B products. Here in China, Asia Pulp and Paper has many brands in both areas such as the famous QingFeng brand of tissue paper. Especially in the retail market, brand value can explode or implode suddenly, depending on market conditions, actions of the brand owner, and …