Good Patent Practice For A Venture Capital Financed High-Tech Start-Up

By Dr. Malte Köllner, Patent Attorney, Triangle Venture Capital Group

What should a venture capital financed high-tech start-up do on the patent field to become a strong company. Is it worth spending money on patents? (You might guess that the answer is yes, the author is a patent attorney, but wait!) Is it of strategic importance or is it more a marketing tool on the investment market? Do patents have any influence on turnover and profit?

One way of answering this question would be by trial and error: gather experience. However: how many years and millions do you need to find out with sufficient significance? Will the company still be alive until you finally found out? You could ask your patent attorney. He may not have a very convincing argument but he will be in favour of patents. Or you can ask experienced managers. Probably, they won't be of much help either, telling different stories.