Licensing and Patents

Borman & Company helps our clients evaluate their intellectual assets to advise the appropriate IP protection strategy.  We review large and small intellectual property portfolios to determine the relative value of inventions as they move along the path to commercialization. An understanding of the competitive patent landscape, market maturity and other research initiatives in progress helps determine if filing for a patent, copyright, trademark or trade secret protections is the best strategy.

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PATENT ANALYSIS

Whether we work with a private company, university, medical center or nonprofit, an in-depth patent analytics process serves to inform the institution of the relative value of their inventions.  It is certainly important to develop an informed patent strategy grounded in the understanding of the characteristics of the invention and to research market opportunity that will help drive decisions about where to invest time and effort in the near term and what not to do. Borman & Company patent advisory services have the ultimate goal to help the client optimize the value chain of innovation and guide the path to commercialization.

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PATENT DOCKETING

Many academic institutions have found that outsourcing the patent docketing function takes the administrative burden off of internal staff and can ultimately increase licensing output. Effective patent docketing requires an understanding of IP prosecution and a dogged attention to detail and deadlines. Whether your office has Inteum, Wellspring, TechTracS or Cayuse, or is using spreadsheets to keep track of the patent docket, Borman & Company has the expertise to help streamline the process.

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ROYALTY INVESTIGATION & RECONSTRUCTION

The need to investigate the provenance of an invention can arise through a number of circumstances. Researchers may be due royalty payments but the data trail to determine accuracy is obfuscated. For federally funded research, response to iEdison reporting requirements may require data remediation that demands investigation into decades of history with regard to sponsorship and licensing activities. In addition, our team has an outstanding track record of finding the right partners and negotiating royalty agreements for clients that optimize the value of their inventions.

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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTION FOR UNIVERSITIES

Borman & Company works with university tech transfer offices and their Counsel to assess what parts of the research portfolio have commercial potential and what IP protection is best suited to the nature of the invention. Among our clients are many leading academic institutions including: Michigan State University, University of Illinois, Iowa State University, Rice University, University of Connecticut, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

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