Mehdi Ansari, a partner in S&C’s IP practice group, has authored an article for IAM magazine examining potential patent risks as blockchain technologies become more popular. Co-authored by S&C IP lawyers Jay Thornton and Raffaele DeMarco, the article examines the growing volume of patents relating to distributed ledgers, and explains the resulting risks and opportunities that may arise for various stakeholders, as well as mitigation strategies to help companies cope.
“Distributed ledgers look set to play a significant role across a range of industries,” the authors write, and “businesses need to keep a close eye on how the landscape develops, along with possible risks.” Stakeholders looking to lessen their IP risk can pursue a number of strategies, including joining a defensive consortium, and filing challenges (e.g., IPRs) against problematic patents.
To read the full article, click here.