Focusing Solely On US Patents Can Be A Risky Move. Here's Why

At a recent networking event, one brash venture capital (VC) investor began dishing out some unsolicited advice regarding global patent protection.In the VC's opinion, U.S.-based medical device innovators should not bother with patent protection in foreign jurisdictions. He was adamant that patents in countries outside the U.S. were simply not worth the time, effort and cost. In this VC's view, the U.S. healthcare market is big enough that good profits can be made without having to bother with the hassle of foreign patent protection, particularly patent protection in China.

Medical device innovators should be wary of such cut-and-dry advice.There are rewards to a strategy that focuses solely on the U.S. market and U.S. patent protection, but reaping those rewards also involves significant risk.Any medical device innovator should carefully consider their global patent strategy.