Intellectual Property
The Coda Octopus technologies and products are underpinned by strong intellectual property rights including trademarks, copyrights and patents (“IPRS”). We are in the process of augmenting our IPRS portfolio, including rationalizing our brands, seeking to register in the US and other jurisdictions certain trademarks and the filing of a number of new patents in key areas of our business activities. We have a number of fundamental patents including a patent covering the stitching together of acoustic imagery (valid in the US, Europe, Australia and Norway). This covers the real time acoustic image generation element of what we do, and we believe it provides us with a competitive advantage.
Our patented inventions along with our strategy to enhance these are at the heart of the Company’s strategy for growth and development. In recognition of this, the Company’s Board has adopted for implementation by the Company a Corporate Patent Strategy. This provides for the effective management and organization of our patents and other intellectual property rights. The main goals of our Corporate Patent Strategy are to (i) protect value; (ii) create value and (iii) extract value. Protecting value entails implementing measures aimed at protecting the Company’s existing patents and other intellectual property rights. Creating Value aims at, working closely with our Research and Development Division to remain at the forefront of 3D Sonar Technology by ensuring that we make the necessary technological advancements in the market spaces in which we operate and obtain the right legal protection by filing quality new patents. Extract value entails ensuring that our Patents and other Intellectual Property Rights work for us and generate premium revenues.
Our patented inventions along with our strategy to enhance these are at the heart of the Company’s strategy for growth and development. In recognition of this, the Company’s Board has adopted for implementation by the Company a Corporate Patent Strategy. This provides for the effective management and organization of our patents and other intellectual property rights. The main goals of our Corporate Patent Strategy are to (i) protect value; (ii) create value and (iii) extract value. Protecting value entails implementing measures aimed at protecting the Company’s existing patents and other intellectual property rights. Creating Value aims at, working closely with our Research and Development Division to remain at the forefront of 3D Sonar Technology by ensuring that we make the necessary technological advancements in the market spaces in which we operate and obtain the right legal protection by filing quality new patents. Extract value entails ensuring that our Patents and other Intellectual Property Rights work for us and generate premium revenues.
Patents
We have been granted four patents:• Patent No. 6,438,071 concerns the “Method for Producing a 3-D Image” and is recorded in the European Patents Register File #SH-44923; Australia #55375/99; Norway #307014 and US Patent Office # 6,438,071. This patent relates to the method for producing an image of a submerged object (3), e.g. a shipwreck or the sea bottom, comprising the steps of emitting acoustic waves from a first transducer toward a first chosen volume.
• Patent No. 6,532,192 concerns “Subsea Positioning System and Apparatus”, recorded in the US Patent Office. This patent relates to subsea positioning system and apparatus.
• Patent No. 7,466,628 concerns the “Method of constructing Mathematical Representations of Objects from Reflected Sonar Signals”, recorded in the U.S. Patent Office.
• Patent No. 7,489,592 concerns “Patch Test for 3D Sonar Data” recorded in the US Patent Office.
Trademarks
In marketing and branding our products and services we use the following registered and unregistered trademarks:Coda ®
Octopus®
Octopus & Design®
F-180 ®
Echoscope ®
UIS ™
In addition, we have registered the internet domain names “3dsonar.com”, “codaoctopus.com”, “codaoctopusgroup.com”, “theportsecuritygroup.com”, “portsecurity.com”, “martechsystems.co.uk” and “colmek.com” with various ICANN-certified domain name registrars.