Videos
Short explainers on patents for deep-tech teams. New videos are added as they are recorded.
Short videos on the patent questions that deep-tech founders, researchers and investors ask most often. Each one takes a few minutes and pairs with a longer article on the blog.
- Video coming soon
Patent or trade secret?
How to decide which parts of your technology to publish in a patent and which to keep confidential. The video walks through the main test, whether a competitor could detect your use of the invention in their product, and why many companies use both forms of protection side by side.
Read more: AI drug discovery patents · hydrogen patent strategy
- Video coming soon
What can you patent in quantum computing?
Algorithms, hardware and control software, and what each needs to be protectable under U.S. law. It explains why claims tied to a physical quantum device fare better than claims to the math alone, and where error correction and compilation fit in.
Read more: what you can protect in quantum computing · quantum error correction patents
- Video coming soon
Provisional or full application?
What a provisional application does, what it does not do, and when to use one. It covers the 12-month deadline, why a provisional only protects what it actually describes, and how to use one before a paper, a conference or an investor meeting.
Read more: provisional application mistakes · when to file
- Video coming soon
What investors ask about your IP
The diligence questions that come up in a seed or Series A financing, and how to prepare. Topics include ownership and assignments, university licenses, the scope of your claims, and whether your product might infringe someone else’s patents.
Read more: patent due diligence for startups · freedom to operate analysis
- Video coming soon
Who counts as an inventor?
Why inventorship matters and how to get it right, especially in collaborations between companies, universities and AI tools. Getting it wrong can cloud ownership and, in some cases, put a patent at risk.
Read more: AI inventorship and the USPTO guidance
- Video coming soon
How to read a patent
Where to look first, what the claims mean, and how to tell whether a patent affects your product. The video explains the difference between independent and dependent claims and why the description matters when claims are interpreted.
Read more: a worked claim example · freedom to operate analysis
Who these videos are for
The series is made for people building technology rather than for patent professionals: founders preparing a first filing or a financing, university researchers deciding what to publish and when, technology transfer teams, and investors who want a quick grounding in the IP questions behind a deal. No legal background is assumed, and technical terms are explained as they come up.
How teams use the series
Before a first filing
Watch the provisional and trade secret videos together as a founding team, then list what you have built, what you have already disclosed, and what you plan to publish or present in the next six months.
Before a financing
Use the investor video as a checklist. Gather invention assignments, university licenses and a short summary of each patent application before diligence starts.
When reviewing competitors
Use the video on reading patents before looking at a competitor’s portfolio, and note which claims, not which titles or abstracts, could matter for your product.
When collaborating
Share the inventorship video with research partners at the start of a joint project, so everyone keeps records of who contributed what.
Going further
For more depth, the Patent Insights blog covers quantum computing, photonics, materials and chemistry, AI and drug discovery, startups and spin-outs, patent strategy and recent changes in patent law. Answers to common short questions are in the patent FAQ.
Videos and articles give general information, not legal advice, and watching them does not create an attorney-client relationship.