Category: General IP Management

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If you’re building something new—software, hardware, biotech, AI, or anything innovative—the last thing you want is to get slammed with a lawsuit for patent infringement. Even worse? Getting hit with willful infringement, where a judge can order you to pay up to three times the normal damages just because they believe you should have known…

Opinion of Counsel: When You Need It and How to Use It

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If you’re building something valuable—a new product, a new way of doing something, or a piece of software that changes the game—you’re going to run into legal questions. It’s just part of the process. And one of the smartest moves you can make as a founder or engineer is knowing when to bring in an…

Design-Around Strategies: Turn FTO Red Flags Into Green Lights

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You’re building something big. It’s working. Customers love it. Investors are interested. But then your freedom-to-operate (FTO) search comes back—and it’s not all clear skies. A few red flags show up. Maybe even a few patents that look a little too close for comfort. What an FTO Red Flag Really Means (And Why It’s Not…

Finding Blocking Patents: Families, Continuations, Divisionals

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You’re building something new. Maybe it’s code, hardware, or a product that’s never been done before. You’re moving fast, thinking big, and putting in long hours. But there’s this one quiet question in the back of your head: What if someone already patented this? You don’t want to run into a landmine later—a patent that…

AI Forecasts: Likely Rejections and Best Responses

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If you’re building something new, chances are you’ve thought about patents. Or maybe you haven’t, because just the thought of filing one sounds like a total mess. Too slow. Too expensive. Too many unknowns. And what if it gets rejected after months of waiting? The Hidden Game Inside Patent Rejections It’s not just about the…

Docket Load & Backlog: Timing Your Moves

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Every founder, engineer, or inventor building something new has a clock ticking. But it’s not just the product roadmap or your next funding round. There’s another silent timer running in the background: your patent docket. And if you don’t understand how it works—or worse, ignore it—you might end up stuck, late, or blocked from protecting…

Restriction Requirements: Which Examiners Pull Them

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If you’re building something new—code, hardware, AI models, anything—you already have enough on your plate. You’re moving fast, breaking things, fixing them again. The last thing you want is a surprise delay from the patent office. But it happens. One common curveball? Something called a restriction requirement. It sounds small. But it can slow you…

Map Prior-Art Preferences by Examiner

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Getting a patent approved isn’t just about having a great invention. It’s also about knowing how to navigate the system—especially when it comes to the examiner reviewing your application. Understanding the Hidden Power of Examiner Behavior Every Examiner is Different. That’s Not a Problem—It’s an Opportunity. Here’s something most founders don’t realize: your patent application…

Interview Summaries That Persuade (and Protect the Record)

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