FAQ

Q: What is IP Nexus (ipnexus.com)?

ipnexus.com is a global, online marketplace for innovation and intellectual property (IP) that makes access to legal and other services easier for startups, inventors, small businesses, universities and other entities, so they can launch and run their businesses and protect their intellectual property.

Q: What kind of legal or other services can I get or offer on ipnexus.com?

Our platform specializes in intellectual property protection and monetization, and we also cover many other aspects of launching, running, and building a successful business or enterprise. Our platform was designed with the needs of the entrepreneur uppermost in mind. Professional Users listed in our Directory can assist with all IP matters such as choice of trademark, trademark registration, choice of URL, copyright, patent search, patent application, brand promotion and protection, inbound and outbound licensing and patent litigation. They can also deal with other general business matters such as incorporation, immigration and visa matters, tax planning, contracts, term sheets, preparing for an Angel investment round, preparing for Series A and more advanced investment rounds, mergers and acquisitions, securities law matters (including initial public offerings), labor law and employment issues, administrative law, litigation, and just about any other legal or business contingency entrepreneurs might encounter. Please note that only Professional Users can offer professional services on ipnexus.com. Please see the Professional User tab and our Terms of Use for further information.

Q: How does ipnexus.com work?

IP Nexus is a multi-feature platform and community offering the following four core features.

Directory is a searchable professional directory of lawyers, patent attorneys, patent engineers, subject matter experts, patent translators, business strategy consultants, investment professionals and other consultants offering professional services. Users can search by region and specialty to find relevant expertise to match their needs.

Ask an Expert is a free Q&A feature where Users can post legal or other questions and get free expert advice from the experts listed in our Directory. Experts (Professional Users) can connect with potential clients by answering questions posted by other users. (Only Professional Users can answer questions posted on ‘Ask an Expert.) Both Regular (Client) Users and Professional Users can post questions to experts.

Services Marketplace connects Regular (Client) or Professional Users looking for legal or other services to experts listed in our Directory. Users can post projects and select from experts’ bids. Professional Users can browse or search for projects matching their expertise.

IP Exchange is a platform for buying selling and licensing IP.  IP owners can market their IP for sale or license with no listing fees or other upfront costs. Brokers, buyers and licensees seeking patents and other IP can browse among more than 60,000 patents and other IP.

Q: What is the difference between a Regular User and a Professional User?

A Regular (Client) User will usually be a startup, entrepreneur, researcher, academic or other person or entity wishing to get advice or services relating to their business or intellectual property. IP owners or their agents can list their patents or IP for sale or license. Regular (Client) Users cannot offer professional services or advice on ipnexus.com.

A Professional User is a lawyer, patent attorney, subject matter expert, engineer, broker, technical translator, investment professional, business strategy consultant or other professional working with innovation and IP who would like to offer and market their professional services or find IP for their monetization services. Professional Users who are IP owners or their agents can also list patents or other IP for sale or license.

Q: How much does it cost to join as a Regular (Client) User or Professional User?

Joining ipnexus.com as a Regular (Client) User or Professional User is free.

Q: How do I close my account?

Please send an email to info@ipnexus.com informing us that you no longer wish to use your account. For further information, please refer to our Terms of Use.

Q: What can Professional Users do on ipnexus.com?

Professional Users are entered into our professional Directory, where potential clients can see their information and contact them directly with enquiries. Professional Users can also contact other experts through our secure messaging system.

Professional Users can browse and bid for jobs posted on our Services Marketplace by Users. They can also post jobs to the expert community.

Professional Users can answer questions on Ask an Expert, a Q&A forum where Professional Users can build their professional profile and engage directly with potential clients by answering their questions. Professional Users can also post their own questions to the expert community.

Q: Who can join the IP Nexus platform as a Professional User?

We welcome experienced lawyers, patent attorneys, patent engineers, subject matter experts, patent translators, business strategy consultants, investment professionals and other professionals who have a strong track record of providing professional services relating to innovation and intellectual property.

Providing services on our platform requires the appropriate professional standards and accreditations as dictated by your profession and jurisdiction. For professions where voluntary standards apply, we may ask for proof of relevant qualifications and experience so our Users can be confident in the level of services that are provided via our platform. We reserve the right to refuse or close a Professional User account according to our Terms of Use.

All Professional Users must agree to abide by our guidelines relating to client confidentiality as set out in our Terms of Use.

Q: Can I promote my company on ipnexus.com Directory?

Directory offers a community of individual professionals and, accordingly, we require our Professional Users to sign up using their individual professional profiles (text and images). We do not currently permit company profiles or promotional links or images for companies or organizations on our professional Directory.

We do allow and expect Professional Users to list their current employment as prompted when setting up their personal professional profile. To this extent, Professional Users’ company names are visible to other Users. If a Professional User wishes to increase exposure for his or her individual firm, he or she is welcome to invite colleagues with suitable background and experience to also list on our Directory. Professional Users may also submit articles for our website (Articles link to the individual writer’s professional ipnexus.com Directory profile.) Professional Users may also apply to appear as a featured expert on our blog. Please contact us at info@ipnexus.com for further information.

Q: Can I post my personal or professional contact details on ipnexus.com Directory?

We ask that Professional Users do not offer personal or professional contact details on ipnexus.com.  Potential clients can contact Professional Users through our direct messaging system. We reserve the right to remove included contact information at our own discretion according to our Terms of Use.

Q: Do I have to give free advice on Ask an Expert, or make bids on Services Marketplace? Is there a minimum requirement?

There is no requirement for professionals listed in our Directory to engage on Ask an Expert or Services Marketplace. It is entirely at their own discretion. We offer these features as an opportunity for Professional Users to engage with potential clients but we do not require them to participate.

Q: What are the fees for providing services on your platform?

We do not charge services providers for marketing or providing their services through our platform. Professional Users can register for our professional Directory, browse and bid for projects all completely free of charge. Professional Users set their own prices. We add a small matching fee and the total amount is communicated to the client.

Q: How do Professional Users get notified about projects or questions or services posted to ipnexus.com?

We offer email notifications sent by ipnexus.com. Professional Users can manage their notification settings on their Account Settings page. Potential clients may also contact Professional Users directly through our secure messaging service. (Please note that private messages are not controlled by notification settings.)

Q: How can Professional Users find IP for sale or license?

We invite IP owners to actively market their IP on our platform and offer Professional Users access to unique and unsifted patent portfolios. We currently have over 60,000 patents and other IP available for sale or license.

Q: What kinds of IP do you list and where do they come from?

We currently list patents, trademarks, copyrights, designs, utility model, plant-breeders rights and genomic data. Our extensive IP owners include individual inventors, startups, SMEs, multinational corporations, technology companies, universities, and research institutes worldwide.

Q: How much do Professional Users have to pay to search for IP?

We offer free and paid account types offering different levels of access to detailed IP information. We cater flexibly for those wishing to browse IP for free, as well as those who seek regular and detailed information on IP available for sale and license. Please click here for more details.

Q: What is a Regular (Client) User?

A Regular (Client) User will usually be a startup, entrepreneur, researcher, university or other person or entity wishing to find legal or other advice or services or upload IP for sale or license. Regular (Client) Users can search our Directory, contact experts, post jobs on Services Marketplace, and ask questions on Ask an Expert. Regular (Client) Users do not appear in our Directory and may not answer questions or respond to job postings.

Q: Are Professional Users bound by confidentiality. Is my information safe?

We require all Professional Users to comply with our Terms of Use with respect to confidentiality of client information.  Also, many of our professionals (lawyers, patent attorneys etc.) are further bound by their own professional standards. Please refer to our Terms of Use for further details.

Q: If I post a question or project on Ask an Expert or Services Marketplace is it confidential?

Ask an Expert and Services Marketplace are not confidential forums. Posters’ names will not be publicly visible except to Professional Users signed into our platform. However, the post will be publicly visible.  For confidential matters, we suggest that Users search our Directory and message individual lawyers or other professionals of their choice, taking appropriate precautions relating to communication of sensitive information .Recognizable sensitive or proprietary information should not be posted on Ask an Expert or Services Marketplace.

Q: Don’t I need a local lawyer to deal with my IP or business questions?

IP law is harmonized worldwide, but specific local expertise is desirable in many situations and you can search our professional directory by region as well as professional or technical expertise.

Q: Can I promote my startup or business on your website?

If you would be interested in promoting your startup or business on our website, please contact us with details at info@ipnexus.com

Q: Can I list my IP on your IP Exchange?

Yes. Please visit ‘IP EXCHANGE’ FAQ tab for further details.

Q: How is ipnexus.com different from other platforms listing IP for sale or license?

We offer a number of important differentials. We are not a passive listing platform and actively market selected IP on our platform to our network of potential buyers and licensees worldwide. Our expertise built up over many years experience as technical, legal and financial professionals working with intellectual property worldwide gives us access to exclusive networks.

Q: Who can list their patents on ipnexus.com?

We invite IP owners of all types to list their patents or other IP for viewing by potential buyers, licensees or their brokers/agents. We list patents, trademarks, copyrights, designs, utility model, plant-breeders rights and genomic data. Our extensive IP owners include individual inventors, startups, SMEs, multinational corporations, technology companies, universities, and research institutes worldwide.

Q: Why should I list my IP on ipnexus.com?

We offer a number of benefits to IP owners listing IP on our platform. We list and market IP for free, offer access to expert advice and services, and analytics tools to manage and track Users’ patent portfolio. We offer expertise and proven track record in the field of intellectual property enabling us to identify and market interesting IP to a network of potential buyers and licensees globally.

Q: How much does it cost to list my IP on ipnexus.com?

Registration and listing is free. Only after a successful sale or license transaction is closed, we charge a matching fee of 12% (for-profit companies) or 4% (non-profit organizations). For licensing, the matching fee applies to the first 12 months’ licensing revenues.

Q: How can professional users use IP Exchange to find IP?

Please look under the ‘PROFESSIONAL USER’ FAQ tab.