2018 year in review

In 2018, LOT Network nearly doubled in size, adding 167 new members – about one new member every other day. We welcomed IP thought leaders like Microsoft, Tencent, JD.com, JD Finance, Square, Nationwide, Denso, Hikvision, Aristocrat, SpaceX, AIG, Pinterest, Symantec, Epic Games, Ocado, Yandex, Boeing, Arista, Priceline, Atlassian, Bullitt, and countless high-tech and blockchain startups to our community.   Our 370+ members are now immunized to over 1.6 million assets and growing daily.

Here is our latest growth chart:

Why?

Many ask me, “Why are so many companies joining LOT if PAE litigation was down in the US in 2018?”  The short answer is simple: LOT Network has become the industry solution of choice for the PAE issue.

Digging deeper, our members are incredibly insightful and can see how the convergence of technology has all industries on a collision course with PAEs on a global scale.   Regardless of your industry, all companies are accelerating their use of technology developed outside of their own industry.  As you incorporate technology developed by others, you also inherit their IP problems.   Since companies are the ones who sell most of the patents used by PAEs, our members see LOT as the most efficient way to gain immunization to over 1.6 million patents.  LOT members are able to use this technology with less risk and at a lower cost than those that chose not to join LOT.

More importantly, PAEs are no longer just a US risk issue.  As China rapidly evolves its IP legal system, and with Europe moving towards adopting the UPC, the truly innovative companies realize they need to quickly develop a comprehensive global IP strategy.  Want proof?  Over half of the companies that joined LOT in the last year are outside the US (23% from Europe, and over 5% are from China).

What to expect from LOT Network in 2019

First, we expect to continue our dramatic growth rate, particularly in Asia, as other Asian companies look to imitate the habits of global leaders like Canon, Alibaba, Tencent, JD.com, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, and Denso.  We are working actively with these companies to invite their peers into our global community.

Second, we are busy making preparations for LOT Network BRIDGE, our members meeting at The Palace in San Francisco on May 15-16th.   This year we are expanding the event to two days so we can provide all the content and networking opportunities you asked for. We kick off the first day with a women-only luncheon sponsored by Women in LOT (WiL), which will feature an executive coach speaking about how to better interact with members of the C-Suite.  If you haven’t yet joined WiL, I’d encourage you to reach out to Caitlin Gardner or April Griffith at JP Morgan Chase to get involved. Then, LOT BRIDGE officially begins with us offering three sessions from High Tech Solutions, Ropes & Gray, and Allied Signal Trust with practical content on things you need to know in today’s IP world.

Day Two begins with a keynote from Director Iancu of the USPTO, followed by presentations by our member companies for our member companies. Perkins Coie, Knobbe Martens, Fish & Richardson and Finnegan will moderate panels as LOT members share their strategies for patent prosecution, and their views on AI, the Chinese market, and so much more.  BRIDGE is also an opportunity to meet with our other sponsors, to learn more about the tools and services they provide.  If you are a member and haven’t registered yet, I would encourage you to do so soon as we are likely to be capacity constrained this year.

Don’t forget to grab your free patents!

Finally, I wanted to remind our startup members to contact Ted Karr if you are interested in receiving free patents donated by Canon, Lenovo, Google and Red Hat.   We are looking to expand this program in 2019 and expect our first universities to join LOT and participate in this program as well.  I am also glad to talk with any of you who may be interested in learning more about all the benefits of donating patent assets to this program.

On behalf of everyone on the LOT Network Team, I would like to thank all of you for your trust in our organization and all the support you give our community.  If there is anything we can do to help with any IP or business matter you may have, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

And finally, with the Spring Festival upon us, we wish all our colleagues in China a Happy New Year – gong xi fa cai!!! All of us at LOT, hope 2019 brings you as much fortune as 2018 brought to our community.

Ken Seddon

CEO, LOT Network