The Economist reports that overall the number of international applications fell by 4.5% in 2009 compared with the year before. However, applications from east Asian economies increased slightly and those from China grew by 30%.
Before we get too excited, we should bear in mind that the vast majority still emanate from the United States, making up about 45 000 of the 159 000 filed worldwide.
Peer-to-Patent trial enters second phase
.
IP Autralia has reported that the peer-to-patent trial has entered its second phase. Read more...
IP Autralia has reported that the peer-to-patent trial has entered its second phase. Read more...
08 February 2010
Commercialisation Australia to Cover IP Costs
.
Commercialisation Australia is offering up to $50 000 to cover specialist business advice, including IP management. Eligible expenditure includes fees for the cost of filing a patent application, patent search, examination and maintenance fees. Have a look at the website for more information.
If you would like me to recommend a consultant, please email me.
Commercialisation Australia is offering up to $50 000 to cover specialist business advice, including IP management. Eligible expenditure includes fees for the cost of filing a patent application, patent search, examination and maintenance fees. Have a look at the website for more information.
If you would like me to recommend a consultant, please email me.
06 February 2010
Patents in China
The Wall Street Journal reports that China issued a record number of patents in 2009. But regulations could dampen growth. Read more.
05 February 2010
A Branding Tip
.
One of my clients has positioned itself very successfully in a particular market. This success is reflected in the popularity of its website. It ranks consistently high in Google searches. However, more recently, its ranking is coming under attack from competitors, both numerous and aggressive.
The problem is that its brand is weak. Weak in the sense that it is descriptive of the service offered. As a result, the chances of obtaining trade mark registration are not good, in spite of the extent of use it has had of the brand. Competitors are using the words of the brand as keywords in their online marketing campaigns with impunity. As I explained to client, those words describe the service offered and so competitors should be able to use them to describe their own services. If client had originally chosen words that were distinctive and thus registrable, its competitors would not be in a position to leverage themselves into a position in which they could constitute a serious threat to its business.
My advice is that the traffic to the website should be used to expose a carefully selected, distinctive brand to site visitors. In time, this will shift reputation from a weak brand to a much stronger brand. For more information on brand selection see my article on brand name selection. The stronger brand will allow it to stand out from its competitors in an increasingly busy field, ensuring longevity and increasing its value significantly.
One of my clients has positioned itself very successfully in a particular market. This success is reflected in the popularity of its website. It ranks consistently high in Google searches. However, more recently, its ranking is coming under attack from competitors, both numerous and aggressive.
The problem is that its brand is weak. Weak in the sense that it is descriptive of the service offered. As a result, the chances of obtaining trade mark registration are not good, in spite of the extent of use it has had of the brand. Competitors are using the words of the brand as keywords in their online marketing campaigns with impunity. As I explained to client, those words describe the service offered and so competitors should be able to use them to describe their own services. If client had originally chosen words that were distinctive and thus registrable, its competitors would not be in a position to leverage themselves into a position in which they could constitute a serious threat to its business.
My advice is that the traffic to the website should be used to expose a carefully selected, distinctive brand to site visitors. In time, this will shift reputation from a weak brand to a much stronger brand. For more information on brand selection see my article on brand name selection. The stronger brand will allow it to stand out from its competitors in an increasingly busy field, ensuring longevity and increasing its value significantly.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
