Perigee IPPerigee IP

Portfolio Development

What it is

A patent portfolio is a collection of patents accumulated or built by a company. Patent portfolios can have significant value if properly managed and developed. Portfolio development is the ongoing work of finding what is worth protecting, filing appropriate applications, and keeping the whole portfolio aligned with where the business is actually headed.

Finding what is worth protecting

Companies take different approaches to IP protection. Some develop patent portfolios to protect their products, some do it to offset R&D spend, and some use patents as a revenue stream through sales and licensing. Companies also frequently develop more technology than they can successfully market. As part of the portfolio development process, our clients explain their business goals, and we identify IP worth protecting, as well as do the actual work of building the portfolios.

Keeping filings in step with the product or business purpose

Products and market conditions change after the first application is filed. Various patent mechanisms, such as continuation and continuation-in-part applications, can let a portfolio grow claim scope around a product as it evolves, rather than freezing protection at whatever the product looked like on day one. You may also discover that patents that previously had little value now give you significant leverage in the market. Accordingly, keeping your patent filings in line with your current business goals is an important part of portfolio development.

Portfolio hygiene

Not every application is worth pursuing to grant, and not every granted patent is worth maintaining. We review the portfolio periodically — what to keep prosecuting, what to let lapse, and where maintenance fees are no longer buying anything useful — so spend tracks value rather than habit.

What happens next

Call or email us and tell us where the portfolio stands today — what is filed, what is pending, and what the product roadmap looks like. We will put an engagement agreement in place before you send anything confidential.