I. Evaluate and Respond to the Demand

According to a 2011 patent litigation study, the median patent infringement award in U.S. courts over the past 16 years was $5.1 million – and that doesn’t include attorney fees. Fortunately, most demands can be disposed of by in-house counsel, without licensing or litigation. This is the first of three posts discussing basic strategies for companies to resolve licensing demands internally at little or no cost.

The first step is to evaluate the severity of the demand. Examine the demand letter. Does it target your company specifically or appear to be part of a mass-mailing? Is it addressed to a named individual or “Dear General Counsel”? Does it identify specific products or refer broadly to a vague category of products? Is it phrased as a cordial invitation to “license early” or a firm notice of infringement?

Perform a Google search on the patent owner and patents. Are they well-known and feared or small and obscure? Have they been involved in prior litigation and licensing with major companies or is your company the first target? Are the patents registered where your company has substantial manufacturing or sales or not? Continue reading →