Drone Intellectual Property Index

Drone IP Index January through March
© ATIP Law 2015

Drone Intellectual Property Index Q1 2015

The Drone Intellectual Property Index changed as follows in the first quarter of 2015:

The number of drone patents granted increased 33% . The number of drone patent applications published increased 8%.

The number of drone related trademarks registered increased 1%. Finally, the number of drone related trademarks applications filed decreased 8%.

Overall, the index increased 13% in the first quarter of 2015.

This quarter’s results indicates that the drone industry continues to invest heavily in intellectual property.

Definitions

We attempt to limit the Drone Intellectual Property Index to patents and patent applications that appear to be substantially related to and specifically intended for use with drones. Since drones use a very wide range of technologies (please see our drone technology article), we do not attempt to include every patent or application that could be applied to drones.

As we use it here, the term “drone” includes any autonomous vehicle.

Drone patent applications are applications that have been filed with and published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Although most applications are published, a small percentage (about 7% nation wide) are not published for various reasons. Patent applications are generally published 18 months after the first priority date of the application. Published applications have not necessarily been examined and some applications will be abandoned after publication. Once an application is examined and approved and all fees and formalities have been satisfied, the Patent Office grants a patent.

Drone trademark applications are applications that have been filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and that are related to drone products and services. Once a trademark application has been examined and approved and all requirements and formalities have been satisfied, it becomes a registered trademark.

More Information

Please see our intellectual property page for more information on intellectual property, our patent page for more information on patents and our trademark page for more information on trademarks.

Please contact us if we can be of assistance to you.