Alertness CRC is an Australia-based Center for Research Collaboration (CRC) and represents a unique opportunity to access research, technology and products from some of the world’s preeminent experts in alertness, sleep health and fatigue risk.   Alertness CRC has built an impressive body of work in alertness, fatigue and sleep diagnostics, management and treatment for consumer, enterprise/workforce and clinical applications.  MJK Partners is working with Alertness CRC to explore opportunities for the use and commercialization of its work through investment, licensing and strategic partnerships. For more information including an introductory video, overview and details on the CRC’s projects and technologies/IP – visit the  Alertness CRC Opportunity Page.

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Excited to be working again with the team at Mitsubishi’s Research Labs (MERL) helping to find applications and licensees for an innovative 3D printing technology called Z-Fuse. The Z-Fuse technology produces 3-5 times stronger thermoplastic/fused filament 3D parts with no change to the materials. More information including a great video can be found here: https://mjkpartners.com/sales/merlzfuse/.  Get in touch if you want to learn more.

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Congratulations to MJK Partners’ client 3-Spark LLC who received US Patent 9,228,859: Customizable Embedded Sensors that issued today (1/5/2016).

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MJK Partners is representing Zephyr Energy & Northeastern University (NEU) on the sale/license of Zephyr’s – Windbeam Micro Wind Energy Generator technology & IP. The Windbeam technology was developed at NEU and is exclusively licensed to Zephyr Energy.

The WindbeamTM micro wind energy generator captures energy from airflow to recharge batteries and power electronic devices.

• The platform technology can be scaled and optimized for a wide variety of applications
• Windbeam’s novel design allows it to operate in wind speeds as low as 2 mph
• Peak power generation from current prototypes range from 6 mW to 3 W
• Very low cost to manufacture
• Silent and safe operation

The base US patent covering the technology has been allowed and a second patent is pending. We are interested in speaking with companies that have applications where this type of renewable power source can be of use. Some of the target applications include HVAC (sensors & actuators), emergency preparedness and disaster response as well as consumer or educational electronics.

For more information see: Zephyr Energy Page

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There has been a lot of discussion recently about the value of intellectual property (IP) in the context of the debate around patent reform.  Much of the dialog has centered around the licensing or enforcement of rights associated with patents which are one form that IP can take. The U.S. Supreme Court ruling today in Kimble v. Marvel, No. 13-720 reaffirmed a long-standing precedent that the royalty payment obligation for a patent license expires when the patent expires. This USA Today article provides a brief overview of the issue and ruling. Since many patents could be well into their 20-year life by the time they are licensed, the potential return on investment may be limited.

Other forms of IP that can be imparted or transferred to a licensee are actual technology in the form of product designs, prototypes, software code, etc. and know-how from the inventors on how to make use of the technology and patents. A “technology license” can include these elements in a package of IP that is being licensed. The licensor then has the ability to attach a royalty to the bundle of technology/IP being licensed giving them the potential for a longer runway for royalty income.

I have worked on IP transactions where, by the time the decision is made to approach potential licensees, the only thing left to license/transfer are the patents. The inventors are on to other things, the prototypes are lost, the code is out of date……. The lesson here is that if you are developing valuable inventions that could be of benefit to others via license or tech-transfer it is important to be able to include tangible technology as well as know-how in your package of IP. This can pay big dividends if your licensed IP is integrated into a successful product or products since you will be able to collect royalties as long as your technology is being used.

MJK Partners, LLC  provides strategic advisory and transaction services to facilitate the licensing, transfer or sale of technologies and intellectual property.  If we can help you with a project – Contact us here.

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