Question 1

How can I monetize my ideas and business "know how"?"

Accepted Answer

Patents give you exclusive rights to a particular technical innovation. We understand how patents can be leveraged to create growth and revenue for a business.
Whether you're launching a product or licensing an idea to other companies, we can help you identify your most valuable patents and explore ways to maintain your exclusive product differentiation or identify potential licensees. Utilizing the "Differentiated IP Creation and Growth Cycle," Eco Focus, LLC can facilitate continued growth of your IP portfolio, assisting you on prioritizing and monetizing your IP assets.

Question 2

Why file patents now? Particularly during the COVID-19 economy?

Accepted Answer

Why now? The economy is terrible. Production is slow. 
Now is the perfect time to get productivity and value from your technical resources! If you have engineers or process improvement leaders focusing on finding productivity and cost-out opportunities for your business, they are innovating. Small business loans are available at very low rates from the federal government to keep your staff on payroll and invest in your business. Put them to work creating value on your books, generating Intellectual Property for your business.

Question 3

What is the right size a business needs to attain to start to file patents?

Accepted Answer

While we have experience working at and with Fortune 500 brands, expanding IP and growing portfolios within highly competitive markets, we have the unique experience of being inventors ourselves and understand what it takes to develop and grow a portfolio from the bottom up, utilizing a business's unique skills and capabilities to drive success and competition.
If you are a startup, or a small business, now is the perfect time to file patents to accelerate the valuation of your business. Additionally, for small businesses the US Patent Office reduces fees by as much as 50% to encourage filing.

Question 4

What services do you provide?

Accepted Answer

We provide a variety of services from; detailed IP portfolio analyses, ideation facilitation to new IP filing, to mobilizing and monetizing your assets. Find out more about our unique "Differentiated IP Creation & Growth Cycle" on our Services page.

Question 5

What are the advantages to partnering with Eco Focus to file patents over the more 'DIY' inventor websites or firms?

Accepted Answer

Eco Focus has the depth of experience to not only file applications on behalf of clients, but to educate and walk clients through the disclosure creation and filing process for the best long term outcomes.
Also, if you use one of the Invention DIY providers to file your application, communications with them may not be protected by privilege, which means they are not protected from discovery from adverse parties if your patent is ever subject to litigation to enforce your rights. However, Jeff Nall, the Principal of Eco Focus is registered to practice directly with the USPTO, which maintains the privilege on all communications related to filing of patent applications.

Question 6

What should be the focus for patent applications for my business?

Accepted Answer

1) Do you have engineers or process improvement workers employed by your business? If so what is their focus?  Through these employees your business is investing in innovation. We can help you assess if these are target areas for patent protection of your 'know-how'. 
 
2) What ideas or technology is tied to your revenue and differentiate you from your competitors?  We can help you analyze your comeptitors IP portfolios to help identify which of your differentiation areas may have patent application filing opportunities to pursue.

Question 7

What is the "Differentiated IP Creation and Growth Cycle?""

Accepted Answer

Eco Focus LLC has developed an iterative process to work with business leaders to target application areas within their market that would give them product differentiation, then work directly with the inventors within the business to innovate and detail inventions, which Eco Focus will file as applications for patents with the USPTO on behalf of the business. Eco Focus will then work with the busines leaders to find ways to prioritize, evaluate, and monetize patents within the portfolio. This focus on monetization supports funding of further business expansion to other product differentiation, repeating the cycle for further IP portfolio growth and value.

Question 8

Do you work in industries outside of tech & LED lighting?

Accepted Answer

While we specialize in semiconductor, LED Lighting, and sustainable energy, we work across many industries. Here are just a few of the many categories in which we provide services within:
Technology & Devices
Connected Environments
Digital Ecosystems
Medical Devices
Have a need in a market not listed? Reach out to see if we're able to help!

Question 9

How do patents affect a business' valuation?

Accepted Answer

Patents secure your exclusive right to novel and useful innovations. As such patents (as intellectual property) are considered an 'intangible' asset.  Intangible assets comprise things such as know-how (protected by patents) and 'good-will' related to brands (protected by trademark). For Fortune 500 companies, intangible assets make up 80% of the companies' valuation. 
There are multiple methods to value individual patents in a portfolio. Patents that represent technology being used within a manufactured product may be valued at ~3% of sales revenue. This directly affects company overall valuation. For illustration, if a particular patent is tied to product generating $1 Million in revenue for the business, then book valuation could be a 10X return on filing costs.

Question 10

What is competitive benchmarking?

Accepted Answer

Competitive benchmarking, commonly referred to as Competitive Landscape Analysis, is the process of providing valuable insights into technical areas being patented by other businesses in your market. Analysis of competitors' IP portfolios provide information for where your competitors are focusing their R&D investments in addition to technology areas with lower levels of filing that remain open to capture with new IP creation.
 
Competitive benchmarking has proven to be highly valuable for businesses looking to understand how they can use their own unique skill, creativity, and assets to grow within existing markets or expand into entirely new spaces.

Question 11

I'm considering legal litigation to protect one of my ideas. Can you help me?

Accepted Answer

While we do not provide litigation services, we are able to partner with firms that specialize in IP litigation to support your case. 
 
Eco Focus LLC has the capability to understand, illustrate, and communicate complex ideas and inventions to aid in the litigation process.
 
While many litigation firms rely on traditional methods of communication (claim charts & flow charts), Eco Focus LLC utilizes 3D visualization and story-telling to help educate and walk a judge and/or jury through your unique inventions.

Question 12

Why is 3D Animation useful for litigation support?

Accepted Answer

While traditional intellectual property litigation relies on claim analysis charts and process flow charts, Eco Focus LLC has the capability to utilize 3D visualization and story-telling to help walk a judge and the jury through your unique inventions.

FURTHER DETAILS

Frequently asked questions

How can I monetize my ideas and business "know how"?"

Why file patents now? Particularly during the COVID-19 economy?

What is the right size a business needs to attain to start to file patents?

What services do you provide?

What are the advantages to partnering with Eco Focus to file patents over the more 'DIY' inventor websites or firms?

What should be the focus for patent applications for my business?

What is the "Differentiated IP Creation and Growth Cycle?""

Do you work in industries outside of tech & LED lighting?

How do patents affect a business' valuation?

What is competitive benchmarking?

I'm considering legal litigation to protect one of my ideas. Can you help me?

Why is 3D Animation useful for litigation support?

CONTACT

FURTHER DETAILS

Frequently asked questions

How can I monetize my ideas and business "know how"?"

Why file patents now? Particularly during the COVID-19 economy?

What is the right size a business needs to attain to start to file patents?

What services do you provide?

What are the advantages to partnering with Eco Focus to file patents over the more 'DIY' inventor websites or firms?

What should be the focus for patent applications for my business?

What is the "Differentiated IP Creation and Growth Cycle?""

Do you work in industries outside of tech &amp; LED lighting?

How do patents affect a business' valuation?

What is competitive benchmarking?

I'm considering legal litigation to protect one of my ideas. Can you help me?

Why is 3D Animation useful for litigation support?

CONTACT

Do you work in industries outside of tech & LED lighting?