Honda joins Toyota, GM and Affectiva in the race to build mood-sensing vehicles
This past week, Japanese car maker Honda Motor Co., Ltd. became the most recent vehicle manufacturer to gain IP in the Neurology Sector. However, while fresh IP is usually a good sign for a company, one might question whether investing in…
Breakthrough Energy Ventures Investing in a Breakthrough Business
Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV), a group of private investors led by Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Michael Bloomberg, and other well-known billionaires, is paving the way for new, innovative green technology with a big impact. The fund is…
Uber divests another company for $100M+. Good thing it had lots of patents…in ride-hailing
As part of its profitability strategy, Uber is turning over its unmanned aerial vehicle unit, Elevate, to Joby Aviation, which is developing eVTOLs. Uber has now invested $125M total in Joby and is transferring assets. A few days…
China’s Jiuzhang Computer is Flashy, but PsiQuantum’s Paperwork Shows It Wants to Be More Than a Fad
In early December 2020, a group of researchers based in Hefei, China announced that their quantum computer, called Jiuzhang, managed to perform in 200 seconds what the fastest supercomputer in the world, a Chinese supercomputer called…
TomTom’s Got a Treasure Map
Will TomTom be directing traffic by the end of the decade? Cities with smart traffic control will look more "turn-of-the-century." 19th-Century, that is. Before automobiles, when there were only horses who averaged about 5 miles per hour,…
The Pfizer Vaccine is Ready to Deploy; Let’s Talk Adjuvants
It’s impossible to avoid news about the anticipated deployment of the Pfizer vaccine right now. The United States has ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine with the potential to obtain more, while the United Kingdom has already received…
Xbox Expanding Blockchain Platform – just as our Patent Forecast® Predicted
Microsoft is expanding its Xbox blockchain platform to allow gaming partners and content creators to track their royalties on a blockchain-based system that utilizes smart contracts for faster and more transparent execution. It's not a…
Sun Grown, MM Green and Sana introduce cannabis packaging innovations. But are they leaving themselves exposed?
As shown in the Cannabis Patent Forecast®, companies are increasing their investment in cannabis-related patents. The $19 billion US Cannabis industry is expected to continue to grow as more states continue to legalize recreational…
Kryo Merges With Ebb, New Picture Emerges in Consumer Sleep
Consumer sleep companies Kryo and Ebb have merged under Kryo management and raised $37 million in new funding. The two companies both focus on regulating temperature for better sleep, with Kryo's ChiliSleep cooling bedding and Ebb's…
Rapsodo Comes Out of Left Field with New Recruiting Tech. Should Trackman Care?
While sports is slowly returning to its former glory in what we hope to be the tail end of the COVID pandemic, some innovations spurred by the unprecedented times are likely here to stay. Historically, the recruiting process in sports was…
Cranial Prosthesis with Ultrasound Compatibility
Ultrasound is often a preferred imaging method due to its low cost, and lack of dangerous radiation, but it is unable to penetrate bone, and therefore cannot be used to monitor the brain. Gliaview's newest invention looks to address this…
Boston Scientific Gains Slight Edge for 2020 Lead in AI-Neurology IP
With the issuance of US Pat. No. 10,842,997, Boston Scientific has gained a small lead in the AI Biotech: Neurology sector as the end of 2020 draws near. The ‘997 patent is the 13th patent granted to Boston Scientific in the Neurology…
Creek Channel Inc. To Watch
Having just gone from LLC to corporation as of February this year, Creek Channel has wasted no time in developing its place in the Energy Storage sector. The company filed seven (7) patent applications related to flow batteries in March…
Blackberry follows Toyota to Partner with Amazon to Create In-Vehicle Services. How Long Before LG Acts?
BlackBerry and Amazon are teaming up to create IVY, an operating system for in-car apps. IVY will combine BlackBerry’s automotive software expertise and AWS’s broad portfolio of services to enable automakers to create in-vehicle services.…
The CBD Drug Race: Zynerba Pharmaceuticals v. GW Pharmaceuticals
We’ve all heard of cannabis patent leader GW Pharmaceuticals, Plc but have you heard of Zynerba Pharmaceuticals, Inc.? Newer to the scene, Zynerba Pharmaceuticals is developing technologies right up GW Pharmaceuticals’ alley -…
Why is Innovative Timing Systems slowing down in the Sports Analytics race? We have pictures.
Innovative Timing Systems has been the long-time leader in the Event subcategory of the Sports Analytics Patent Forecast®; however, its lead isn't going to hold unless it starts to pick up the pace. Over the past four years, Innovative…
COCA-COLA picks partner for pollution-reduction. Our Patent Forecast® shows they could have done better.
Coca-Cola was named one of the world's top plastic polluters. It is now trying to fix its pollution problem by collecting and recycling a bottle or can for every one it sells by 2030. Additionally, it has announced a paper bottle with its…
Fitbit Slows on Sensor Development. Can Samsung Catch Up?
Fitbit has always been a leader in consumer sleep technology. The company's large patent portfolio (149 published documents in the last five years) is what made it such an attractive target for Google, which is close to closing the $2.1B…
PatientBlox files Patent. Signaled Acquisition acquires them a few months later. Coincidence? Of course not.
Home healthcare tech provider Signify Health announced the acquisition of blockchain-based healthcare payment platform PatientBlox at the end of November of 2020. Signify Health coordinates at-home care for patients. The company has a…
Keeping Movie Theaters Alive in a Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every sector of business, but perhaps no industry has been as deeply impacted as the entertainment industry. With the lack of live sports, virtually no concerts having been scheduled, and very limited…
Pure Storage is building an enviable IP portfolio in Edge computing. Hello Intel?
Pure Storage, Inc. is a storage hardware and software company based in Mountain View, CA. Pure Storage was highlighted in an insight earlier this year (2020) for being issued four patents on the same day in the Edge Computing sector, after…
Thought Beanie invests in mood detection. Apple, Facebook & Amazon ignores. Uh oh…
The idea of monitoring a wearers mood has been around for a long time (think back to the mood rings you had in middle school), but a quick look at the AI Biotech/Diagnostics: Neurology Sector seems to indicate that there is still a large…
TIPA is DOMINATING Flexible Packaging.
Back in May, Magic Number highlighted the patent and market activity of TIPA. Recently, Millennium Food-Tech invested $4 million in TIPA. This brings TIPA’s total funding to $53 million since its founding in 2010. TIPA is becoming a major…
Amazon Leads in Home Security Drones. Should Alarm and Qualcomm Assert?
Home surveillance drones are coming of age and major home security system providers are gearing up to provide them, but only Amazon is delivering. Amazon also has multiple patents to protect the drone. Alarm.com appears committed but…
Blockchains, LLC is in Acquisition Mode. We Have Suggestions.
Software solutions developer Blockchains, LLC is acquiring identity management company Cambridge Blockchain. The latter company was founded in 2015 and has raised $13M in funding for its blockchain-based system for generating and tracking…
Patent Forecast® gives you AI-driven, interactive data that identifies key innovators and first movers.
