The June edition of Startup Saturday Hyderabad had a different format from the usual.
We had an expert, Mr. Ddharaniikota Ssuyodhan, International Commercial and Corporate Lawyer, who also specialises in IP, come in and talk about Intellectual Property Rights as applicable in the context of start-ups.
This was followed by a talk by Kranthi, founder of Dhama Innovations, who had recently raised money based on a valuation that was built on the company’s patents – hence a very apt talk.
Finally, we had a Spark the Rise lightning pitch by Jai Eapen for the Startup Leadership Program that is commencing soon.
The talk by Mr. Ssuyodhan was one of the most interesting and interactive sessions on IPR held in Hyderabad. The audience was educated on the theory behind patents, copyrights and trademarks, and then also on a bunch of real-world issues such as costs, timelines and making decisions.
The key takeaway for startups was to think about:
a) should I protect my patent, or should I leave it open?
b) if I choose to protect it, then which markets should I focus on?
c) should I have broad claims (slow process but better protection) or narrow claims (quicker approval but less protection)?
d) should I patent all my claims in one go, or should I do it piecemeal, starting with a few claims and then adding more as a continuing application?
The session was interactive all through, with some really good questions coming from the audience, which seemed quite educated on IPR to begin with. On the whole, an encouraging sign for the startup ecosystem that so many startups are innovating and looking at protecting their innovations.
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