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Efrat's
Message
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Happy New Year to all of our friends, colleagues and clients!
Looking back at 2016, this has been a year of many highlights for us here at Foresight:
- On the IP services front, we had the opportunity to get involved in many interesting IP strategy and valuation projects. We worked on some of the most exciting areas in technology today, including: Asset tracking (RFID and other related technologies), AR/VR (both on hardware, as well as on gaming software), Medical Foods, and Navigation technology. The valuation opinions we provided were used in spin offs, acquisitions, tax reporting and licensing discussions.
- On the startup front, we continued supporting startups from Silicon Valley and around the world in their quest for funding. We have also continued developing our suite of startup analytics tools, including our "Rookie to All-Star" 20-Question Assessment and funding-readiness ranking system.
- On the educational front, I have taught my Stanford MBA class for the 5th year in a row. I was also invited to lecture at the Stanford Office of Technology Licensing's iFarm program, bringing together Stanford patented innovations and graduate student teams. Finally, we had a chance to get involved in many conferences, webinars, and even tape a podcast series (more on that later in this issue).
- On the litigation support front, we have significantly increased our activities, focusing in particular on cases involving startups and intellectual property valuations. We are currently working on several divorce cases, where the challenges related to identifying and valuing IP are quite unique.
One personal highlight for me in 2016 was getting elected to the position of Secretary of the LES USA-Canada's High Tech Sector (HTS), a position that leads to Chair of the HTS in 2018. I look forward to serving in this leadership position, having a direct impact on IP licensing education and best practices. Please visit the
HTS page for more information on our subcommittees and ways to get involved and participate in our webinars and monthly calls.
We are looking forward to seeing many of you in the new year, and wishing you a productive and innovative 2017!
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In our last newsletter we introduced our new Podcast series, produced by the EU-Japan Technology Transfer Helpdesk, and featured "How to Position Your Startup for Funding." This quarter, our featured Podcast is "How to Develop a Successful IP Strategy for Startups."
Startups often mismanage their intellectual property (IP) strategy, either as a result of ignorance about the process or as a result of miscommunication with their patent lawyers and lack of resources. Many entrepreneurs are also getting misleading advice from investors and other advisors who are misinformed about the basics of IP strategy. The implications of embracing the wrong IP strategy can be devastating to startup valuation and hinder successful exits. In this podcast, Foresight brings the discussion on the Top 5 best practices for developing a successful, cost-effective IP strategy for startups.
The entire Podcast interview series, including the two we've featured thus far, can be found
HERE.
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Upcoming Events:
Foresight's Annual LES Silicon Valley Chapter Event:
March 22nd, 2017 in Palo Alto
On March 22nd, Foresight will host its 6th annual LES event on behalf of the Silicon Valley Chapter of LES. This has been an annual March tradition for Foresight, and previous events covered topics such as: Cleantech, Crowdfunding, Legal Tech, and IoT.
This year we are back to a topic that is not only our core business, but is also an audience favorite: "IP Valuation: Opportunities and Strategies in Optimizing the Value of Your Patent Portfolio." Our panel of IP valuation experts, investors, and corporate IP holders, moderated by
IPWatchdog's
Gene Quinn, will provide valuable insights to understanding the value of a patent portfolio from the viewpoint of a variety of stakeholders. Whether you are managing an in-house patent portfolio, are engaged in M&A deals involving IP assets, or are a startup looking to secure funding, this discussion will highlight the most common approaches and the key factors impacting IP valuations, to hlep you optimize the value of your IP portfolio.
The event's location is TDB, so keep an eye out for updates and announcements on the LES Silicon Valley Chapter's website: www.les-svc.org.
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Recent Event Highlights:
CPA Global hosted the Silicon Valley IP Forum, on December 1, 2016 in Palo Alto. Efrat Kasznik moderated a panel that focused on the Internet of Things (IoT). The panel included representatives from the consumer electronics, cyber security, and entertainment technology industries. Discussions were held around the IoT ecosystem, landscape, and opportunities, as well as a conversation about recent M&A activity in the space.
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Foresight in the Media:
"Weighing China's 1.1 Million Patents"
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) recently announced that the Chinese patent office received over 1 million patent applications in 2015. This makes it the first national patent office to cross the 1 million application mark in a single year.
In a recent article posted to the EE Times, Foresight's President dives deeper into the 1 million patent application milestone achieved by China. She explores possible explanations for the uptick in applications, and presents ideas that challenge the general connotation of this achievement. You can read the full article HERE and leave your comments.
In addition to the article, Efrat recently recorded a Podcast on the topic. You can find the Podcast on Foresight's Media webpage.
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