Bela Malik (Patent Agent at Affordable Patent Agency, LLC) writes on LinkedIn that child patents are a means to building a strong and healthy patent portfolio. Ms. Malik says that filing child patents is a way to stay on top of the intellectual property market as a patent innovates beyond original design. Ms. Malik suggests that a diverse patent portfolio allows for various investment alternatives, as inventors court investors to fund the protection of their rights.
An LFJ Conversation with Michael Kelley, Partner, Parker Poe
Bela Malik (Patent Agent at Affordable Patent Agency, LLC) writes on LinkedIn that child patents are a means to building a strong and healthy patent portfolio. Ms. Malik says that filing child patents is a way to stay on top of the intellectual property market as a patent innovates beyond original design. Ms. Malik suggests that a diverse patent portfolio allows for various investment alternatives, as inventors court investors to fund the protection of their rights.
According to Malik’s essay, the USPTO is susceptible to United States’ Supreme Court rulings, which contain constant fluctuation in what is considered fundable/investable patent law.
When investors are seeking to raise capital for numerous projects, having a solid child patent portfolio is appealing to third party funders. Additionally, quality design of a patent portfolio is viewed as a hedge against competitors who may seek to innovate beyond simple patent certifications. Inventors know that USPTO law has liberal views of ‘fair competition,’ and it has therefore been profitable to err on the side of caution when profiting from patent portfolio litigation claims.
Ms. Malik’s overall position appears to urge an evolution beyond ‘one and done’ patent applications, towards a broader position of building patent portfolios as part of risk mitigation.
