Google believes it may have a better solution to stopping patent trolls than lawmakers and the White House with its effort to revamp the federal patent agency office: It'll become its own patent approving clearinghouse.
In what it's calling an 'experiment,' the company is inviting patent holders to sell their patent to Google and create an experimental marketplace called the Patent Purchase Promotion to get the effort moving forward. In a blog post Google says the project will be "simple, easy to use, and fast."
"By simplifying the process and having a concentrated submission window, we can focus our efforts into quickly evaluating patent assets and getting responses back to potential sellers quickly," writes Allen Lo, deputy general counsel for patents, in the blog posted on Monday.
"Hopefully this will translate into better experiences for sellers, and remove the complications of working with entities such as patent trolls," added Lo.
As Google notes in the blog, patent owners sell patents for various reasons, such as a need to raise money or a company changing its strategy and product vision. The patent sale process can be tricky, especially for smaller businesses and single patent owners, requiring legal investment and the involvement of patent trolls, notes Lo.
The marketplace promotion will run from May 8 to May 22. During that time patent holders can pitch the patent they're aiming to sell and the price they hope to get. Google will make its patent purchase decisions by June 26. Google is strongly recommending that anyone who participates in the promotion first consult with an attorney. Google hopes to conclude patent-purchasing processes, with payments conducted and completed by the end of August.
"We're always looking at ways that can help improve the patent landscape and make the patent system work better for everyone," says Lo in the blog. "We ask everyone to remember that this program is an experiment (think of it like a 20 percent project for Google's patent lawyers), but we hope that it proves useful and delivers great results to participants."
The promotion effort is getting kudos from Google blog readers. Marc Bailey calls it "innovative" and a "good idea." Another describes it as a "great proposition to enable ideas," and a chance to "partner" with Google "for the betterment of Earth."
