Happy Hour at the UK IPO
Posted on Thursday, October 1, 2009
Money-saving patenting tips brought to you by the Patent Penny Pincher
(Every Mon. ~ Fri. between 9am and 5 pm!)
Good news bargain hunters! The United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) has a special offer on patent opinions. For only ￡200 you can now obtain a valid opinion on the validity of infringement status of any UK patent. That's right, only ￡200!
Not only will this service save you money, it will save you time and give you some peace of mind....
Already thinking that this is too good to be true? That there MUST be a catch?!!
Well, to be honest, the Patent Penny Pincher thought so too, but in fact, the UK IPO is offering this service to help reduce costs related to patent infringement disputes, which in turn will hopefully lead to less wasted resources.
Now let have a closer look at what’s at offer:
1) UK IPO Opinion:Since 2005 the UK IPO has been offering opinions in an attempt to resolve patent disputes. The opinion consists of a balanced and impartial assessment of the essential issue of an anticipated or real dispute.
2) Cost?The Cost for an opinion – payable to the UK IPO is ￡200 (roughly NT$ 10 000).
Not a bad price at all, considering that some Patent Attorneys' hourly rate is more than that!
3) Timing?From the date of submitting your request for an opinion until receiving the opinion takes no more than 3 months.
4) Target Customers1. If you are a patent owner or an exclusive licensee facing a patent dispute, you'd like to have some opinion on the validity of infringement status of your or even your opponent's patent. In some cases the opinion provided by the UK IPO might help to resolve the dispute, saving a lot of time, money and discomfort. On the other hand, if the dispute eventually ends up in court, you would have had time to consider your options based on reliable opinions.
2. If you're a free-thinking liberal with money to spare, you might want to do some opinion digging in the patent office archives and sell your "knowledge" to the patent werewolves eager to sue! (not a bad past-time for a vindictive soul)
5) Important Things to Know1. Since the launch of this service, the IPO has provided 100 opinions!
2. Applications & results are released to the public here, so if you'd rather keep things quiet, the Patent Penny Pincher suggests you avoid this service.
6) Who are the trend setters?During the past four years, companies big and small have made use of the UK IPO's opinion service, but some of the "big" names include Marks & Spencer PLC and Unilever PLC. It goes without saying that these are professional opinions, provided by knowledgeable UK IPO practitioners who are as (and if not more) capable as most very expensive patent attorneys.
200￡ for a bit of peace of mind and a lot of knowledge, spend wisely!
As they say: An ounce of common sense is worth a pound of theory...
-The Patent Penny (& Pound) Pincher.
UK IPO Opinions Service Page
Photo by AGok
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