Patent registration has become a thorny problem in global markets in recent years. A patent, in simple economic terms, is a monopoly on a particular know-how and the proceeds it generates for the inventor. A lot of money and ego is involved in the matter. Issuing the patent is considered almost a trivial matter nowadays. The work of patent registration has made the work on intellectual property by patent lawyers increasingly important.
Adv. Bruce Lilling is a second-generation partner at Lilling & Lilling PLLC in the US, a patent law firm founded by his father Burton Lilling 50 years ago. The firm has been active worldwide since the 1960s, especially in countries such as Mexico, Russia and China.
Since the early 1990s, Lilling & Lilling has been working with a growing number of Israeli clients. They include Orbotech Ltd. (Nasdaq: ORBK) and Sightline Technologies Ltd. (sold to Stryker Corp. (NYSE:SYK) for $150 million a month ago). “We’ve had more clients in Israel in recent years,” says Bruce Lilling. “This is not only because of the attention intellectual property has attracted, but also because of growth in the Israeli market following the end of the intifada and the improvement in the economic climate.”
Lilling says registering patents for Israeli companies is intensive work. “Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Nasdaq: TEVA; TASE: TEVA), for example, files over 150 patent applications a year in the US alone. Israelis are very active in the area of patent registration, but there are nevertheless limits of size. Although Israel registered more patents in the US in 2005 than China, that will probably change soon.”
Like may international firms that support technology, Lilling & Lilling’s activities in Israel include investment and marketing connections. The firm has ties with venture capital funds. IsraelWise is responsible for the firm’s business development in Israel. IsraelWise establishes and manages collaboration between Israeli and foreign companies.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on April 20, 2006
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