Does Your Business Need a Patent Audit?

A patent audit evaluates and reports on the status of your business’ technology protection program.  A patent audit outlines considerations relevant to your ability to secure, protect and enforce your patent rights and, if desired, provides an appraisal of the value of these rights. You can save significant money by doing some preliminary research to clearly describe product ideas before engaging into patent attorney services by using a patent database search solution.

To know if you need a patent audit, consider:

• Does your business have a portfolio of patents and do you have the original patents?
• Does your business have a migration plan for expanding its technology and do you manage the protection of the new technology?
• Does your business use its patented technology out of the country and is this technology patented where it is used?
• Does your business use patented technology of others and do you have copies of these authorizations?
• Does your business permit others to use your patented technology and do you have copies of these authorizations?
• Does your business rely upon employees or independent contractors to create improved technologies and do you have the agreements that cover these relationships?

Your answers to these questions will indicate if it is time to contact an IP audit specialist to ask about a patent audit.