International Patent Filing for Virtual Reality Inventions
Virtual reality and augmented reality inventions form part of international patent portfolio to add immense value to the business mode. The international patent filing process involves a rigorous review process conducted by the appropriate patent office. Patents grant the sole right to a particular product or system to the inventor who has filed a patent. To be eligible for a patent, a new process or machine must be novel, non-obvious, and not have been known to the public prior to filing an application. As the use of VR expands, more patents will be filed for new VR technologies, making the virtual reality patent landscape crowded. Essentially, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Patent Landscape covers hardware and software patent claims in AR and VR space.
Virtual Reality Patent Drafting
The patent drafting technique for virtual reality inventions should focus on patent claims that cover the hardware as well as software patent related aspects. Patent attorneys focus on highlighting the novel and inventive features of virtual reality innovations through the primary independent patent claims. The ideal patent claim combination for VR and AR inventions includes system claims, method claims, computer-implemented method claims, computer program product claims, and the like.
Virtual Reality Patent Searching
One of the effective ways to review the virtual reality patent landscape or the augmented reality patent landscape is to conduct patent searches using appropriate keywords. The virtual reality patent searchresults can provide useful insights to decide patent eligibility of the inventions along with an overview of existing patent literature for drafting strong patent claims for VR inventions. The inventions of VR and augmented reality have seen impressive growth in the last few years. Patents covering these technologies have increased exponentially. This technology is gaining wide appeal due to its ability to recreate complete sensory experiences, fostering wisdom and perspective. The wide appeal of VR has led to a surge in worldwide patent filings.
Geographical distribution of Virtual Reality Patent Filings
The world has seen a surge in VR patent filings in recent years, but where are they coming from? While China has outpaced the US and Europe in terms of patent filings, the US and EU have also had a significant impact on this growing field. It’s also useful to note that the UK has filed fewer VR patents than China. The United States remained the number one patent issuer in Q4 of 2021, followed by China and Germany. The USPTO issued fewer than half as many patents in Q4 as in the previous quarter, while China and Germany led Europe in total number of patents. Samsung held third place in Q4, but its patent portfolio was still relatively small. The Chinese patent office issued more than half of the total, while the UK and Germany each issued fewer than 1% of new AR/VR patents.
Virtual Reality Patent Holders
Tencent, the world’s biggest social media company and the world’s biggest video gaming company, has filed 4,085 virtual reality and augmented reality patent applications in 2020 and 2021. This puts Tencent second only to Samsung Electronics when it comes to the number of patent applications filed. Baidu, the Chinese internet search market leader, filed 3,094 VR and AR patent applications in the same time period. These patent filings show the Chinese are actively seeking to own the future of virtual reality and augmented reality. The technology industry in the US has been slow to adopt virtual reality, despite the massive demand for it. This is largely due to the lack of US technology companies in the field. Baidu and Tencent Holdings have been leading players in developing and marketing virtual reality headsets. They both plan to get 1 billion people to use their products. However, they aren’t the only companies that are looking to cash in on the technology.
Benefits of Obtaining a Virtual Reality Patent
Obtaining a virtual reality patent is one way to protect your invention in this rapidly evolving field. The market for VR is expected to double by 2025, with a combined value of $80 billion to $182 billion. Many technology giants are already rushing to capture market share, and many have built competitive portfolios of patents. Companies like Microsoft, Facebook, and Sony are already stepping into the market to bring their innovations to life. One of the most significant benefits of obtaining a virtual reality patent is its utility. VR is a powerful tool for developing products, prototyping them, and promoting product launches. While traditional prototyping and testing were costly and time-consuming, VR has made this process possible with minimal up-front costs. This allows entrepreneurs to test and refine their products quickly. Moreover, virtual experiences create curiosity and may even convince venture capitalists to fund prototypes.
Our team of advanced patent attorneys assists clients with patent searches, drafting patent applications, and patent (intellectual property) agreements, including licensing and non-disclosure agreements.
Advocate Rahul Dev is a Patent Attorney & International Business Lawyer practicing Technology, Intellectual Property & Corporate Laws. He is reachable at rd (at) patentbusinesslawyer (dot) com & @rdpatentlawyer on Twitter.
Quoted in and contributed to 50+ national & international publications (Bloomberg, FirstPost, SwissInfo, Outlook Money, Yahoo News, Times of India, Economic Times, Business Standard, Quartz, Global Legal Post, International Bar Association, LawAsia, BioSpectrum Asia, Digital News Asia, e27, Leaders Speak, Entrepreneur India, VCCircle, AutoTech).
Regularly invited to speak at international & national platforms (conferences, TV channels, seminars, corporate trainings, government workshops) on technology, patents, business strategy, legal developments, leadership & management.
Working closely with patent attorneys along with international law firms with significant experience with lawyers in Asia Pacific providing services to clients in US and Europe. Flagship services include international patent and trademark filings, patent services in India and global patent consulting services.
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