Internet entrepreneurs face a critical dilemma. Should they patent their ideas, or is that a waste of time, money, and energy?
The pivotal importance of patents on new e-business methods is highlighted by high-profile infringement suits by Priceline, Amazon, and DoubleClick. The jury is out on whether these patents are highly valuable to their companies--or just their lawyers.
- Patents can create valuable assets to block competitors, attract investors, or use as trading chips -- and can serve as a consolation prize if competitors outrun you.
- Internet culture devalues patents as attempts to own ideas that want to be free, and it has no patience for lawyers, the Patent Office, and courts.
- Patent experts say they are here to stay, and will shape the competitive landscape.
- Entrepreneurs have no resources to waste, but they can ill-afford to leave this wild card on the table, if it might be an ace.
Key questions:
- How does an entrepreneur decide whether to seek patents?
- What does it cost, over what life-cycle? -- can you start small, and continue as warranted?
- What do VCs and investors want to see? What do partners and competitors think and do?
- What are the strategies for getting patents and getting value out of them? -- Mapping, offense, defense, trading? How can the little guy play the game?
Never before have patents had so much potential value, yet been so suspect. :
- Methods of doing business patents and Internet patents are widely attacked as being poorly founded and unlikely to stand, but the smart money is counting them in.
- Some argue that we will kill innovation ("Owning the future" by Seth Shulman) others argue we will kill it if we don't let innovators own their innovations.
- Big companies like IBM, Xerox, and even Microsoft have gained new respect for the value of patents ("Rembrandts in the Attic" by Kevin Rivette and David Kline)
Some see this degenerating into a game of trading cards, in a cynical balance of power that puts the little guy at risk, yet start-ups like Priceline, Amazon, and DoubleClick have gotten patents and put them to effective use.
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Panelists:
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Kevin Rivette, co-author of the new book, Rembrandts in the Attic: Unlocking the Hidden Value of Patents, published by Harvard Business School Press. Mr. Rivette is CEO of Aurigin Systems, Inc., the leading provider of Intellectual Asset Management tools for business, government and legal professionals worldwide. |
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Jeff Brandt, General Counsel for Walker Digital, Jay Walker's "laboratory for new business models" that is behind Priceline and other patent-based Internet ventures. |
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Other speakers TBA |
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Moderator TBA |
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| DATE: |
Wednesday evening, April 26, 2000.
Pre-registration required by April 20th. |
| TIME: |
5:15 p.m. - registration, networking and refreshments. 6:00 - 7:45 p.m. - program |
| PLACE: |
Chase Manhattan Bank, 270 Park Ave. (47th St.), NYC., 3rd Floor Auditorium |
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