Your Strategic
IP Partner

Your Strategy First®

Our Purpose

The world judges us based on what they can see and touch. However, at Metayage, we believe in the true value and power of Intangible assets. The entrepreneurial journey of an innovative startup founder can be extremely challenging, especially when very few believe in your inventive ideas, and most people tell you that your ideas are worthless. At Metayage, we act as a friend, well-wisher, mentor, and a strategic IP partner to nurture your idea and protect it by getting you patents that certify that your invention is unique and inventive, and give you exclusivity. We partner with you at each stage of your journey, right from idea, prototyping and launch, fundraising, scaling up to exit.

Our Services


Metayage acts as an extended in-house IP department and also doubles up as an external IP firm

Our services encompass the entire IP life cycle right from IP Identification to Monetization

International Patent Protection

We get speedy patent grants in all major markets around the world seamlessly.

IP Due Diligence

We provide clarity on patent portfolio quality, and identify red flags and provide recommendations on reducing risks due to infringement of third-party IP rights.

Patent Intelligence

We provide actionable intelligence based on patent data for Competitive Intelligence, Freedom to Operate, and Invalidating patents of competitors.

International Trademark Protection

We enhance your brand value by registering your valuable brand names, logos, and product names as trademarks in key markets.

International Design Protection

We give you an edge over your competitors by protecting your product's unique aesthetic features in major markets worldwide.

Strategic IP Partner

We act as your extended IP department and conduct IP Audits, prepare patent intelligence reports and update your IP Strategy periodically.

Why Metayage

IntellectualProperty.

Case Studies

PI Ventures

Conducted patent due diligence on Freedom to Operate and Patentability prior to Venture Capital Investment in deep tech startup.

Saankhya Labs

Prosecuted and conducted patent valuation that includes 25 granted US patents, and patents in India, Europe, Japan, and South Korea.

Niramai

International patent portfolio in the US, EPO, India, Japan, Canada, China etc. 9 US patents granted.

Numerify

17 US patents granted, related to AI driven data warehousing and analytics for Business Intelligence.

Kernel LABS

Acted as an in-house patent counsel for their portfolio companies such as Omnivor and Trusted Key (acquired by Workday, Inc).

What Our Clients Say About Metayage

Frequently Asked
Questions

Patents have an impact on the R & D, Finance, Marketing, HR and Legal departments of a company. For R&D, it protects their investment and maximizes ROI. For Finance, it increases the valuation, generates royalties and increases profits. For Marketing, it strengthens the branding, differentiation, and competitive advantage. For HR, it enables a culture of innovation, and helps to retain top technical talent. For Legal, it mitigates IP infringement risks and secures the company's valuable assets.

Since patents are territorial/country-specific, the selection of countries/jurisdictions to apply for a patent should be based on which countries are major markets, and which countries the product is likely to be made or used in. Other considerations include, the country of incorporation, likelihood of success in securing patents, ability to enforce successfully, timelines, and costs.

An IP Strategy is a systematic roadmap to align a company's business goals with Intellectual Property related initiatives. The IP strategy depends on what stage the company is in, its short and long term goals, its competitive position within the industry, etc. IP initiatives such as IP Audits. Patent intelligence, Freedom to Operate, IP protection, IPR enforcement, IP licensing and IP valuation are conducted at different stages depending on the company's IP Strategy.

The extent and scope of disclosure in a patent application should be sufficient to successfully obtain patent protection while also preserving key trade secrets to the extent possible. To obtain a patent grant, a patent application must satisfy novelty, non-obviousness, subject matter eligibility requirements, and enablement. For enablement, every element of every patent claim should be described in sufficient detail to enable a person of average skill in the technical field that the invention relates to, to make and use the invention without undue experimentation.

Especially before launching a product in new markets, but preferably even during the R&D stage, conduct a Freedom To Operate (FTO) search in those countries where you intend to launch your product. This helps to identify patents owned by third parties that your product might potentially infringe. Once these patents are identified, analyze the claims of these patents based on the specification to determine their scope of coverage. Then you can reverse engineer your product to avoid infringement, or even look at opposing or invalidating third party patents that pose a significant threat to your business.

Typically the relationship with an IP firm starts fairly early in the journey, during R&D and product development. At this stage, your company will typically not have an in-house IP department or even an in-house IP counsel. Hence, the right guidance on an IP strategy that aligns your company's requirements with IP initiatives is crucial. Transparency and clarity in communication will help you make informed decisions. Expertise and track record in successfully obtaining IP protection is another key metric to consider. Last but not least, expertise in multiple jurisdictions is critical if you want to build an international patent portfolio

Latest Blog & Articles

View All Blogs

04/Aug/2022

5 lies you’ve been telling yourself to delay patent protection

I am too busy – The truth is that if it is important and valuable enough everyone finds time for it.

24/Jan/2021

What are the patent trends in China as compared with India?

Over the past decade, the volume of patent filing in China has seen a dramatic rise.

01/Apr/2023

What are the challenges in obtaining patent protection for software-related inventions?

Software inventions are increasingly important today because they enable automation, speed, connectivity, innovation, and effective data management. Businesses who innovate using software gain competitive advantage

Metayage
5 lies you’ve been telling yourself to delay patent protection | Metayage

5 lies you’ve been telling yourself to delay patent protection

 

1)  I am too busy – The truth is that if it is important and valuable enough everyone finds time for it. Your IP is an asset, treat it as such! It would be a huge loss if you were to lose out on protecting your intellectual property because you did not feel necessary to spare the time required to work on its protection. 

 

Just to give you an idea, some of the world’s largest companies invest and value their intangible assets. Below are their Intangible asset value. 

 

  • Microsoft (US$ 1.90 trillion)
  • Apple (US$ 1.87 trillion)
  • Saudi Aramco (US$ 1.64 trillion)
  • Amazon (US$1.47 trillion)

    source – Global Intangible Finance Tracker (GIFT™) 2021 report

 

2. It is too expensive – Nothing is cheap or for free. Your intellectual property is a valuable asset, set aside time and money just as you would on any other investment. 

 “When I was planning the business, I spoke with an attorney about a patent for my idea. When I found out that the cost in fees to file for my patent, I decided it was too expensive and not important. Another company quickly came along and copied my idea, and there was nothing I could do about it. Eventually, my business failed and I lost millions of dollars. Suddenly, a few thousand dollars didn’t seem like so much money, and I didn’t feel like such a business genius either”. 
– Robert Kiyosaki on not patenting nylon-and-Velcro wallets.

 

 If you are a Startup company in India, and UDYAM registered, there are reimbursement schemes you can avail of from the Indian government. Look up for details on https://my.msme.gov.in/MyMsme/Reg/COM_Ipgr.aspx

 

3. It is not patentable – Maybe your invention is patentable or maybe it is not. But you will not know for certain until you at least start the process of filing a patent application. Prior to filing the application, your patent agent will run a “patentability search”. This process checks if there is any prior art/ invention that is closely related to your invention. The result of this will help determine if your patent is novel. Your patent agent will also be able to check if your invention meets all the patentability requirements as laid down by the patent office. Prior to approaching an IP firm, you can identify what inventions you currently have by asking questions like:

 

  1. Has the problem that you’re trying to address been a long-standing need in the industry?
  2. Does your solution have any new steps, features, or elements that didn’t exist?
  3. Is the solution routine or is it unconventional and out of the box?
  4. Is there any improvement in technology or a technical field?
  5. Is it faster, more efficient, more accurate, and/or cheaper than existing approaches?
  6. Does it have an application in the industry that has economic value?

     

If your answer is yes to most of these questions, there’s a good chance that you may have an invention, which may be worth patenting. 

 

4) It is time-consuming – Every valuable action requires time. The time spent on articulating your invention, differentiating it from a prior art, and documenting it with drawings and descriptions, will give you more clarity about what is unique about your invention, and how it is differentiated from competitors. With a proper, timely, and strategic application, you can manage time and also reduce any kind of stress related to last-minute filing. The best practice is to reach out to your chosen patent agent well in advance and provide all necessary information about your invention. Together with your patent agent you can work on the best strategy and begin work on your application without any delay. A strategic patent portfolio creates barriers to entry for competitors and increases the valuation of the company. If this is a reason worthy of your time, you must absolutely spare time for your patent application. 

 

5)  It is not important – This is the biggest lie to tell oneself!  It is important to protect your intellectual property. Would you leave your valuables unattended out in the open? Of course not! Then why on earth would you leave your invention unprotected for others to copy, distribute and monetize? The value of an early-stage technology startup is hard to determine because you still do not have significant revenue or profits. What you may have is a team, a product, and some potential customers who have shown interest in the proof of concept. Hence, most of the value of your company is intangible.


If you recognise the ‘lies’ which is causing a delay in your patent protection and you are ready to take a step forward towards protecting your Intellectual property, please drop us an email at ip@myipstrategy.com.

 

Metayage