Coinbase Going Public Thanks to Patent Portfolio

Digital currency exchange platform Coinbase has filed to go public through a direct public offering. Despite taking a purely defensive stance on software patents — since 2015, the company has claimed it will not use patents offensively and…

Mastercard Pushing Forward, Visa Lagging Behind?

Mastercard announced on February 10 that it would start supporting cryptocurrency transactions, months after PayPal made a similar announcement and caused a Bitcoin surge in October of 2020. At the time, we noted that PayPal's patents left…

Cryptocurrency Becoming a Safe Gamble for 2021

International Game Technology (IGT), a UK-based company that makes gambling machines and lottery platforms, developed a cashless pay system that was approved by the Nevada Gaming Control Board. The system lets gamblers use loyalty cards or…

ErisX Ready to Clear House

Three-year-old startup ErisX has won approval from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to expand its clearinghouse platform from dealing only in cryptocurrency futures to handling all futures. The company, born of the…

All Aboard the Blockchain Train

Blockchain technology can be applied to almost any industry young and old. The Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA) is a partnership dedicated to standardizing and promoting the use of blockchain in various transportation systems. BiTA…

Visa Brings Ternio Onto the Fast Track

In 2019, financial services giant Visa launched the Fast Track program in the U.S. to allow blockchain and cryptocurrency companies to integrate easily into Visa's banking and payment systems. The program includes collaboration with other…

Blockchain Makes for a Safe Bet

This week, patent applications from two different companies describing the use of cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies for gambling systems published after being filed within a week of each other back in June of 2020. Uplay1 focuses…

Would You Trust Blockchain with Trade Secrets?

British risk-mitigation services provider Aon filed a number of patents in 2019 that were recently published teaching a "trade secret registry" that uses blockchain to allow users to monitor and insure their intellectual property without…

Using Blockchain to Secure the Next Election

The United States Postal Service (USPS) filed a patent application in February of 2020 for a secure voting system that uses a blockchain to encrypt and track electronic ballots. The patent teaches a method of using a mobile device to scan…

Track Your Packages With Blockchain

United Parcel Service recently filed a patent application teaching blockchain-based ledgers for shipping and tracking packages. The patent is UPS' second in the cryptocurrency sector, filed over a year after their first. The claims cover…

Rolls-Royce Moves into Blockchain

Classic car and engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce filed two patent applications at the end of 2019 for the use of blockchain to control engines, specifically for aviation. The documents, which were recently published, teach blockchain-based…

Patent Forecast® gives you AI-driven, interactive data that identifies key innovators and first movers.

Includes interactive Patent Radian, real-time USPTO updates, and market insights.