When people outside our industry think about patents, they might imagine broad or archaic protections and arcane technical jargon. Insiders know better.
Matthew Veale, LOT Network’s new VP, Patent Analytics and Strategy, says this about patents in today’s world, “I would suggest that competitive advantage now lies in strategic intelligence understanding not just what patents you have, but why they matter, where the white space is in your technology landscape, how your competitors are positioning themselves, and what your R&D roadmap should look like based on patent signals.”
Matthew’s charter at LOT is helping IP lawyers think about what is happening in the world of IP and how it might advance the cause of the entire business within their market ecosystem, meeting the more strategic imperative of IP today than that typified by the routine tasks of yesterday’s IP world, pre-AI.
We took the time to ask him about his unique path, but more importantly, about how the work he is doing today is elevating the insights and value that LOT Network provides to its members, who then take those findings back to their own leadership teams.
Q: Matthew, why do we see IP departments increasingly recognizing the need to think, act, and present more strategically within their businesses? What has changed?
A: It is well recognized that 90% of the market capitalization of most US companies actually comes from intangible assets (not hard assets). One of the most common tools to protect intangible assets are patents. However, the tools that companies use to protect their value also pose a threat to that value. Patents are also what NPEs use to sue companies. Thus, NPEs pose a risk to the largest portion of a company’s value. CEOs and the executive team need to be more aware of their intangible assets. Patents need to be treated as something that protects or destroys value, rather than just a “legal tool”. Thus, all companies need to be aware of the risks to their business.
Q: How is AI impacting the world of IP?
A: When I started as a patent examiner and then moved into private practice, so much of our time was consumed by what I’d call “necessary but mechanical” tasks: searching through thousands of references, drafting boilerplate sections, compiling basic statistics about patent portfolios.
Too many folks outside the patent world assume that, because generative AI automates routine patent tasks like prior art searches, initial drafting, and basic analytics, there is less for patent attorneys to do. This is short-sighted thinking.
Critically, removing the mundane doesn’t diminish the need for patent professionals; it elevates the bar for what we can deliver. And, the best IP teams know this.
I compare it to contract automation. Just as legal ops teams were able to free tens of 1000s of hours of contract review with AI-powered review, so are patent attorneys able to elevate their own work by using AI on the mundane and strategic human thinking on the rest. IP teams are rising to the challenge across industries and geographies. It is exciting to see.
Q: How does this show up in the work of IP teams, tactically and strategically?
A: As AI ably handles the most basic tasks, companies are seeing that the best patent teams can focus on answering the hard strategic questions:
- Where should we innovate next to avoid crowded spaces?
- Which of our patents are truly defensible versus just expensive paperwork?
- What do our competitors’ recent filings tell us about their product roadmap?
- How do we measure the ROI of our patent strategy with meaningful KPIs?
These questions require combining patent data analytics with deep domain knowledge, business strategy, and forward-looking thinking.
Delivering these insights actually drives business decisions and competitive advantage.
Q: How is LOT Network’s team helping member IP teams to accomplish these lofty changes?
A: Here at LOT Network, we specialize in providing our members with substantial support by translating patent data analytics into strategic insights and identifying competitive threats before they materialize. Our focus is on the PAE problem.
What we do is build a comprehensive, strategic intelligence picture that makes the trend of PAE activity crystal clear. Together with Thao Ta, a talented analyst on my team, some of the ways we’re delivering value include:
PAE Monitoring and Intelligence
Daily, my team and I are tracking PAE activity across multiple dimensions:
- Real-time threat assessment: We’re monitoring which patents PAE entities are acquiring, who they’re asserting against, and critically, which of those patents LOT members are now protected from through our license-on-transfer mechanism. When a patent moves to a PAE, we can immediately identify which members have coverage and quantify that protection.
- Portfolio analysis: We’re not just counting patents. We’re analyzing the strength and relevance of the patents that members are protected against, including claim scope, prosecution history, prior licensing activity, and litigation outcomes. A license to 10 strategically important patents in your technology space is worth far more than coverage on 100 weak or irrelevant ones.
- Jurisdictional and technology mapping: We’re building detailed views of coverage by jurisdiction (US, Europe, Asia) and by technology sector. If you’re a fintech company, you need to know specifically how LOT protects you from financial services patent assertions, although there is also value from understanding total coverage due to the convergence of technology.
And, we’re demonstrating value to current members. I’m focused on making the invisible visible. Instead of saying “you’re protected,” we can now show specific trendlines, real world situations where LOT Network has given the community – and the member entities in the community – a valuable protection against litigation.
Examples could include:
- “You’re protected from these 50 patents asserted by Entity X against companies in your sector last quarter.”
- “These patents have generated $Y million in licensing revenue historically, and you could have a royalty-free license.”
- “Based on prosecution history and claim analysis, these 15 patents pose the highest litigation risk in your technology area, and you’re covered.”
For prospective members, we’re building compelling data stories:
- Portfolio size, strength, and technology relevance specific to their business
- Comparative analysis: “Companies in your sector faced X assertions last year; here’s your exposure gap without LOT membership”
- Trend analysis: Which PAEs are most active in their space, and how is that threat evolving
But here’s where it gets really strategic: we’re not just reactive. We’re analyzing patterns in PAE behavior:
- Which technology areas are seeing increased PAE activity?
- What acquisition patterns suggest emerging threats?
- Which patents are repeatedly licensed, signaling high monetization value?
This forward-looking intelligence helps members make proactive decisions about their own patent strategy, not just defensive ones.
And, we’re doing it all in real time. When a significant patent portfolio moves to a PAE, members can receive immediate notification of their new coverage. When assertion campaigns begin, members can see their protection status instantly.
Q: Matthew, why are you so committed to upleveling the intelligence resources the members get from LOT Network’s data team, and how did you come to find this ideal role?
A: In previous roles, I saw firsthand how data-driven approaches could reveal patterns invisible to traditional analysis. These include emerging technology clusters before they gained mainstream awareness, patent strength indicators that predict litigation risk and geographic filing strategies that maximize protection efficiency.
What really drives me is seeing businesses gain that “aha moment.” That moment when patent intelligence reveals opportunities the attorney didn’t know existed or helps them to avoid costly missteps. There’s something incredibly satisfying about turning complex IP data into clear competitive advantages.
Not only do I know this works, because I have seen it, I believe in the value of LOT Network, So this is the perfect moment for me. A strategic opportunity to help our members get better insights, through better data, so they can reach deeper into their organizations with smarter recommendations based on their areas of expertise. All while continuing to solve the PAE problem.
Q: Matthew, how can people reach you?
A: For those who have made it here to the end, I’m always happy to chat about patent trends, collaboration opportunities, or geek out about the latest developments in IP analytics. Feel free to reach out!
Matthew Veale, VP of Patent Analytics and Strategy, LOT Network
Matthew brings extensive experience in intellectual property, data, and strategic analysis.He studied both computer science and law at university and began his career as a Patent Examiner at the UK Intellectual Property Office. He subsequently moved into private practice and is a qualified European Patent Attorney and UPC Representative. Most recently, Matthew held roles focusing on the application of artificial intelligence to the intellectual property industry.