Semiconductor Insights puts intellectual property in context with IP Landscape

EDP Weekly's IT Monitor, Sept 29, 2003

Semiconductor Insights (SI), a leader in technical and patent analyses of integrated circuits and structures, today announced the launch of its IP Landscape service. IP Landscape completes the IPinsights portfolio, which also includes Patent Development and Licensing solutions. "IP Landscape is the first step for a client making a corporate intellectual property decision--be it patenting, licensing, or litigation", said Derek Nuhn, Chief Operating Officer of Semiconductor Insights. "Our IP Landscape service helps clients see the proverbial 'forest through the trees', providing valuable insight into the nature and potential evolution of specific markets. This information is invaluable for patent strategy formulation, product development, licensing programs, and acquisition target evaluation."

IP Landscape assesses the technology and patent landscape associated with both current and future products and/or services. This serves to identify gaps in a company's patent portfolio, as well as areas that are public domain, proprietary, and unclaimed. IP Landscape puts a company's inventions and patents in the context of their own business strategy and that of their competitors, helping to derive the maximum value from technology investments.

As an objective third party, SI provides clients with unprecedented access to information about competitors' IP including their patents and patent publications. As well, SI takes into account not only the patents of direct competitors, but also of suppliers and customers (and their competitors) and companies in related technology areas. This analysis highlights product development roadblocks and provides the information to successfully navigate around. As well, IP Landscape identifies current and future patenting opportunities, along with alternative applications and markets for licensing.

Two levels of IP Landscape analysis are available--Market and Product. For example, SI just completed an IP Landscape of Multi-Level Cell / Multi-Bit Cell (MLC/MBC) Flash at the market level and an associated Patent Landscape of the AMD MirrorBit Flash at the product level. "IP Landscape lets clients understand their degrees of freedom to operate, helping to avoid costly mistakes", said Nuhn. "It points inventors towards area for innovation and legal teams towards innovations that should be protected. It also provides a strong foundation for the development of an effective IP strategy."