Google offers leg up to start-ups in patent assistance programme

Google is offering start-up companies two free patent families as part of its Patent Starter Program, which is intended to help small businesses develop.

Launched yesterday, July 23, the programme is intended to help start-up companies navigate the “world of patents”, which Google describes as “confusing” and “cumbersome”.

The programme is open to the first 50 eligible start-up companies that contact Google.

Companies seeking to participate have to prove they have an annual income of between $500,000 and $20 million.

Organisations that Google considers to be a non-practising entity (NPE) are not invited to take part.

Google will offer companies a choice of two patent families from between three and five that the search company thinks are most relevant to the start-up’s business.

“At Google, we not only remember our roots, but we respect the start-up culture: the great ideas, the passion and the long hours that develop them, and the resulting innovation and technology that ends up benefiting the whole world.

“That is why we celebrate the start-up community and offer our support and assistance in many different ways,” the company added.

Participating companies will also be able to search Google’s patent portfolio for patents that it may be willing to sell.

Google said it will “provide fair valuations on assets with which we are willing to divest”.

But in order to join the Patent Starter Program it will be mandatory for start-ups to join the License on Transfer (LOT) network.

LOT is an technology industry-led patent licensing network that seeks to protect its members from litigation.

If a LOT member sells a patent to a non-member, it enacts an agreement that prevents the non-member from filing an infringement claim against another LOT member based on that patent.

The operation is intended to prevent 'privateering'—defined as when a company sells a patent to an NPE which then uses it to file abusive litigation claims.

It was set up by Google, Canon and Dropbox last year.

Start-up companies joining the Patent Starter Program will have their LOT membership fees waived by Google in the first two years.

Google has encouraged any interested party to consult a lawyer before signing up to the Patent Starter Program.