The Schox Patent Group

The Schox method revolves around teaching startups to view intellectual property as a weapon. How might a rival get around those patents? What features might they think of? Schox often asks engineers who haven't even built their first prototype to conceptualize unusual extensions of the technology, so that these ideas can be protected just in case.

It's well worth the trouble. Schox says the going rate for a hot patent now is about $1 million. "Decades ago a machine might have five or 10 patents," says Schox. "Today, the phone in your pocket has about 5,000. It's just a much different landscape to think about."


from Patents a priority for startups in SFGate