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There is some pending legislation making the rounds in Congress right now with the catchy name of Saving High-Tech Innovators from Egregious Legal Disputes Act, or better known as SHIELD. The goal of this legislation is to put the financial burden of lawsuits on the “patent trolls” who like to use intellectual property rights to jam the courts with frivolous lawsuits. These opportunists buy patents solely to turn around and sue the innovative start-ups that created the products. Patent trolls often buy broad patents that allow them to file flimsy lawsuits against multiple companies for infringement.

One Giant Leap for Colorado Start-Up IP

Currently, the small business or entrepreneur faces the burden of cash out of their pocket to fend off, or fight, these lawsuits. The SHIELD Act would force patent trolls to pay the legal costs of the companies they sue if the case lacks a reasonable chance of success. Some are objecting to this legislation with the belief that it was put in place by powerful...

The Colorado business community and beyond has a lot to be proud of, including being a mecca for innovation and the entrepreneurs that are the engine behind the machine.

· Goldman Sachs  will recognize Sue Allon, CEO of Allonhill, as one of the top 100 entrepreneurs of 2012 and will salute her innovation and leadership in the financial services industry at a national conference in Newport Beach, CA, in October. Founded in Denver in 2008, Allonhill is the leading national independent third-party review firm that specializes in mortgage due diligence and credit risk management.

· The Paradigm Project,  a Colorado Springs company that markets environmentally friendly cooking stoves in developing nations — which serve as vehicles for the company to sell so-called “carbon offsets” — has been named the nation’s "most promising social n the entrepreneur” in BloombergBusinessweek’s fourth annual...

Pangea Organics, Simple Energy Inc, and Dabble successfully competed against seven other businesses by pitching their business plans at the i4c Campaign event on July 13th in Denver. The winning companies each received $50,000 equity investment from the host venture capital company, Galvanize, who is also offering a year's worth of rent-free workspace in downtown Denver as well as general consulting and mentoriship assistance to the winners. 

Pangea Organics, based in Boulder, distributes natural skincare and personal hygeine products online and through retail outlets like Whole Foods. Pangea's product line ranges from hand soaps to lip balms and lotions. Their winning pitch involved investing in a "social selling" plan, using home parties to sell discounted product and to increase word-of-mouth sales. 

Simple Energy is another Boulder-based startup that...

The U.S. Department of commerce announced in July that Denver would be one of three metropolitan areas chosen as locations for new branches of U.S. Patent and Trademark offices.  In the past, one of the biggest obstacles to overcome in the patent process is simply the backlog of patent requests that need to be approved by the sole office in Virginia. With half a million new patent requests every year, the wait time for approval is around three years.  

Getting patent office in Denver required significant lobbying by Colorado leaders in business and Government, all in the pursuit of a large economic payoff for the area. It is slated to produce a $440 million economic boost to the area as well as employing around a thousand people.  Governor John Hickenlooper and Senator Michael Bennet sent letters from 50 prominent local business leaders expressing support. Two other US metro areas selected for patent offices are San Jose and Dallas-Fort...