| The medical devices patent wars are raging and | | | | purchase the target company or build it in-house so |
| competing against those of the pharmaceutical | | | | that their R&D team has a renewed focus with |
| industry. The situation for the medical devices | | | | justification. |
| patenting fraternity gets worse with the distinguished | | | | 2. Throttle Vs Invest - The nature of competitive |
| importance gathering towards the design patents. | | | | intelligence has awed many an organizations looking |
| The recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for | | | | for meaningful investments. For example, a well |
| the Federal Circuit makes the design patents even | | | | crafted IP, technology, manufacturing and market |
| more valuable than the process patents. | | | | trends database can help in a decision to hold off |
| That is to say, the complexity associated with the | | | | from investing in huge plants and build smaller plants |
| medical devices patent community in order to | | | | instead. Also, abstract intelligence like capacity glut |
| maintain the competitive edge for their respective | | | | and slackening of demand can also be obtained with |
| companies is manifold. However, it is certainly a no | | | | marked accuracy. |
| brainer to visualize this scenario if perceived from the | | | | 3. Geographic targeting - Medical devices industry |
| barriers to competition (regulatory approval, | | | | space presents with it the need to select a |
| reimbursement - Govt or Insurance; large R&D | | | | geography or just approaching it in aggregate. For |
| expense) and the patent heavy nature (maintenance | | | | example, the patent to product mapping with their |
| of monopoly; lifecycle management; litigation | | | | remaining patent life periods can be vital in |
| requirement) of the industry per se. | | | | determining the viability and estimating the |
| Patent departments in the medical devices industry | | | | appropriate time to market in a specific geography. |
| have started to play a significant role in the overall | | | | The costs associated in gathering the above classified |
| strategic decisions of their respective companies. | | | | information could be enormous at times. Hence, |
| There is often little to choose without adequate help | | | | companies have an inherent need to make use of |
| in their decision making processes. Hence, the need | | | | software tools to provide such information on the fly. |
| to have affordable intelligent information is quite | | | | Thus, the age for information visualization tools have |
| justified. | | | | been ushered in the patent analysis market. Samir |
| The kind of information that companies typically seek | | | | Raiyani, CEO - Dolcera says that powerful yet |
| from knowledge services vendors is as follows | | | | affordable information visualization tools with little |
| 1. Build Vs Buy - To make an informed 'Build Vs Buy' | | | | learning curve to even equip the C level executives is |
| decision, it often requires a detailed technology | | | | the need of the hour. |
| landscape report consisting of data culled from | | | | The new version of the patent dashboard simply |
| patent, non patent, product literature. For example, | | | | addresses this need and the collaborative nature of it |
| actionable information enables the IP departments in | | | | is just an added flavor. It's only a question of time |
| companies to identify a foreign academic spinoff | | | | before the game changing experiment in Medtronic is |
| startup with strong IP and advise their business | | | | repeated throughout the medical devices industry |
| development counterparts to make an offer to | | | | leaving no company unturned. |