Patenting your invention is just one step in being able to commercialize a technology. You need to make sure that you are not infringing on existing patents that could limit your ability to apply your technology. Ensuring that you have "Freedom to Operate" (FTO) can take many hours of a patent attorney's time.
To provide FTO analysis to selected startups at no charge, QB3 has partnered with the UC Hastings Startup Legal Garage. For companies accepted to the program, a team of law students with technical backgrounds will perform an FTO analysis under the supervision of an experienced attorney. The company has to interact with the students weekly to ensure progress of the project. The program itself will take approximately two months to complete and will require a time commitment of 4-8 hours from the startup.
Applications are closed for the summer cycle. We anticipate offering the same program this coming fall.
This is a selective program. Approximately four applications will be chosen based on a match with the law students' technical background and interests. Strong preference will be given to incorporated companies with issued patents. Applicants will learn by mid-August whether they have been selected for the program. Qualified applicants that we are unable to match with a student team may be offered a similar service by one of our partner law firms.
Download the Startup Legal Garage one-pager here.