White Space Analysis for Technology IPRs: A Complete Guide

However, when we think of big tech often, companies such as Facebook or Google pop up, but how exactly did they reach where they did?

Today, with the new technology boom due to artificial intelligence, many technology companies are yet again thinking about how to scale up their existing categories and seek new domains to diversify. However, when we think of big tech often, companies such as Facebook or Google pop up, but how exactly did they reach where they did? Even though their ideas and technology were not new and had been around for a long time. Which idea worked, and what made Facebook’s and Google’s technology stand apart and remain protected from their competitors?

The answer is the white-space analysis.

What is white-space analysis?

White-spaces Analysis is an IPR strategy that creates a pioneering position for a technology company. This enables a company to use existing gaps in the intellectual property market, where little to no intellectual property rights exist. These gaps are therefore ripe positions where a company can dominate its competitors by owning and filling up the gap with its intangible assets, such as patents, trademarks, utility models, copyrights, etc.

These gaps are especially beneficial for technology companies because they can enhance the development of new inventions or protect new technological features for their existing products or services.

company or the individual chose to directly go in for the registration process of what they considered to be an “invention” or IP-worthy “specification.”

What is the significance of White Space Analysis?

At Nicomedia IP, we often come across clients in technology companies or inventors who have hit a roadblock after they registered their IP assets because those assets are either at risk of liquidation or being infringed upon. This is primarily due to their invention-centric approach. The trouble with this approach is that without the white space analysis, the company or the individual chose to directly go in for the registration process of what they considered to be an “invention” or IP-worthy “specification.” However, such assets end up covering just the invention and never enable the client to monetize their assets in the intangibles marketplace.

A thorough white space analysis therefore, helps clients build up an IP strategy that distinguishes between, what they believe is IP worthy product versus IP market worthy ownership.

Finding a White Space Opportunity: The Process?

To identify the innovation void , the process includes opportunity mapping, comparative analysis of the technology’s attributes with other sub-technologies, common characteristics, and areas of application. In our experience, the mapping’s focus is based on the

• External Focus: It gives insight into the existing market competitors versus players in the gaps. This focus helps determine the possibility of a merger or acquisition, when there is a lack of exclusive intellectual property assets.
• Internal Focus: This examines the internal structure of your invention as well as the viability of your patent or features in light of future opportunities.
• Future Focus: This is a legal research-backed step that forecasts changes to your IP assets’ legal landscape in the future and directs next steps based on upcoming market voids.

Questions to ask about your White Space Analysis:

1. From your internal product development team:

• What will be my competitive landscape?
• Have there been any recent mergers or acquisitions of similar IP assets?
• Which technology segment is on the decline?
• What are some geographical differences in IP registration that are similar to my invention?

2. From your IP legal counsel and researchers

• What will be a suitable gap for your technology?
• Will a complimentary space be suitable for registering your IP Right?
• What will be novel IP route to take for pre-existing solution?
• What would be an easy and adaptable white space opportunity for your company?
• What should be our R&D targets to fill the white space?

How can Nicomedia IP help you?

At Nicomedia IP, we develop technology IP landscape reports for our clients in phases by means of AI and machine learning tools that generate preliminary IP searches followed by in-depth manual analysis to focus on our clients’ needs and discern their concerns. For instance, which key patents are useful for market ownership? What IP assets are presently trending? Which market is lucrative? Hence, our complete analysis reports incorporate the following:

• Trend-wise analysis and R&D evolution of the technology, based on the intellectual property data study.
• Domestic and International jurisdiction-based report for insights into market trends, competitors, and opportunities.
• Analysis of your patent study and its classification.
• Opportunity reports on additional IP routes such as Trademark, IP Dress, Utility Model etc.

If you want to explore your IP strategy, register your technology IP rights, or are keen to venture out to new lucrative markets, contact us at here.

All our white space analysis reports are customizable as per the client’s needs.