In a recent post on Forbes.com  entitled How To Tell What Patents Are Worth I talk about how to think about the value of patents.  Here are a few points - see the Forbes.com article for context and further discussion.

Evaluating an individual patent boils down to three steps. First, determine the quality of the underlying invention outlined in the patent. Second, evaluate whether the patent is well constructed. Third, figure out how to extract value from the patent.

Ultimately, individual patents are like bricks and a portfolio is like a collection of bricks. Are the bricks heaped in a pile on the ground, or have they been assembled into a strong and attractive building? Figuring this out is not the lawyer’s job. It’s management that has to decide how to create, protect, and grow value for shareholders.

Patents are not just for lawyers any more.   They are valuable assets that need to be managed intellegently.  Check out the IPVISIONS blog which provides insights into the thinking of business, investor & IP leaders through the lens and experiences of IPVision executives.

      Patents contain a treasure trove of business intelligence information - who is investing in what technologies, what product strategies are being pursued etc.  However, the extraction of this knowledge has been difficult and time consuming.  I am co-founder of IPVision, Inc., which provides data, analytics and services to help businesses, investors, lawyers and inventors understand the patent landscape.   Try out our FREE Patent Analytics website www.see-the-forest.com where you can search and analyze patents and create IPVision Patent Maps.