©2019-2023 Rowan TELS Corp.
Rowan TELS is a trademark of Rowan TELS, Corp. While we are not a law firm, we engage with a law firm to perform legal services when needed on a project basis.
COMPANY
CONTACT
Rowan Patents
Market Overview
Patent Preparation and Prosecution: Corporations spend approximately $30 billion annually on external services for patent preparation and prosecution in the U.S., based on average filing and prosecution costs, as well as the USPTO annual volume of filings. (Source: USPTO, AIPLA)
Transactions and Consulting: The intellectual property licensing industry in the U.S. reached $45.9 billion in revenue in 2020. (Source: IBIS World)
Overview of Rowan’s Services
Rowan’s senior consultants provide an end-to-end technology-enabled legal service (TELS) for patents: IP strategy; licensing; and transactions. Rowan’s unique blend of real-world expertise and patent-specific software deliver flexible solutions for any IP team:
IP Strategy – We can provide valuable insights to companies developing new IP strategies, assessing existing ones, or to investors or boards in need of independent assessments based on real data and experience. We are routinely asked to advise on early stage companies by venture capitalists and have experience with companies at all stages of of development.
Licensing & Transactions – Rowan’s team has collectively been involved in many of the major patent transactions during the past 20 years. Whether the transaction involves a single company or multiple companies, and whether the licensor is an operating company or licensing entity, we have the expertise to assist in getting the best possible deal done. All for a transparent, fixed fee which is known ahead of time, allowing the licensee to determine their best course of action.
Patent Platform – Our Rowan Patents platform can be licensed by corporations and law firms to enable their patent teams to focus on high-value functions that result in high-quality patents with less prosecution time. Corporate heads of IP who deploy our platform across their internal staff and external law firms will benefit from unmatched data and analytics throughout the preparation and prosecution process.
“Technology alone does not solve my problems. We need domain experts with long track records and deep industry relationships.”
Rowan Anti-Counterfeit
Market Overview
According to a 2020 report by the Library of Congress and the USPTO, as of 2018, counterfeiting has become the largest criminal enterprise in the world (higher than either drugs or human trafficking) with total domestic and international sales of counterfeit and pirated goods estimated between $1.7 trillion and $4.5 trillion a year. In addition, seizures of infringing goods by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) increased nearly 9x from 2000 to 2019, adding further proof of the massive growth of the industry.[1]
Total e-commerce sales increased by 32.4 percent in 2020 [2]. 2021 shows no sign of slowing down despite the opening of the “brick and mortar” economy, with the 2021 Q1 e-commerce estimate increasing by 39.1% [3]. This continued rise in e-commerce sales will likely only fuel the continued growth in counterfeit and pirated goods.
The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed global business and is to date the most substantial negative supply chain security effect in history. It has also provided many opportunities for criminal elements who seek to take advantage of the rise in demand and subsequent shortages of many parts and products. Reduced genuine materials allow illicit actors to offer counterfeit raw materials which will contaminate their supply chains. These threats lie with certain counterfeiters who will exploit weaknesses in legitimate supply chains by offering lower than normal prices for source and raw materials. Such threats are everywhere tainting legitimate supply chains, and can be continuous within all sectors. [4]
Many Companies realize they have a counterfeit problem, but their anti-counterfeiting or anti-piracy efforts to date have proven ineffective and inefficient. Even in those instances where brand protection teams have succeeded in mitigating this conduct, those successes have been short-lived, with counterfeiters resurfacing under a new name or in a new location, selling the same fake products.
Overview of Rowan’s Services
Based on our two decades of experience in this industry, Rowan brings a new solution to brand protection teams to combat this problem. First, our sophisticated software identifies high volume counterfeiters (HVCs) by scanning global marketplaces, websites, social media platforms and other online markets to identify and link the distinct entities having the greatest impact. The results of these scans inform brand owners of what they need to know: who is selling their goods, at what prices, in what quantities and locations, and which of their industry peers are impacted by the same HVCs.
Second, based on this research, Rowan purchases product samples from the counterfeit sellers we have identified, and communicates with the sellers to determine the scope and breath of their inventory and sales capacity. This allows us to obtain additional evidence to support our request for immediate, broad injunctive relief.
Third, Rowan leverages its expertise to organize an enforcement program aimed at the HVCs. As counterfeit sales are consolidating further onto a select number of global, online marketplaces, the opportunity to have a lasting impact has increased if the problem is tackled correctly.
There is evidence that this anti-counterfeiting model works. In the networking industry, Rowan has worked with Cisco and Ciena and delivered three court victories in a row. The string of successes that Rowan’s clients have enjoyed shows the power of the US court system as a practical and effective tool in the fight against counterfeit goods. The results of the injunctions we have received demonstrate that a court order is more powerful and wider reaching than a simple cease-and-desist letter or website takedown request. A broad federal court order allows brand protection executives to more quickly and effectively enforce their rights than they have ever been able to before. Our injunctions have gone beyond just taking down a site and have included removing the seller from internet searches, freezing its assets, and barring carriers such as FedEx and DHL from shipping these products.
Rowan’s senior consultants have extensive experience protecting global brands, organizing and managing action among major corporations against IP-related legal threats, and working with law enforcement and government agencies to counteract illegal activity in the IP world.
[1] https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USPTO-Counterfeit.pdf
[2] https://www2.census.gov/retail/releases/historical/ecomm/20q4.pdf
[3] https://www.census.gov/retail/mrts/www/data/pdf/ec_current.pdf
[4] https://iccwbo.org/publication/icc-intellectual-property-roadmap-current-emerging-issues-business-policymakers/
“Anti-counterfeiting is in an arms race against counterfeiters. We are racing to catch up with them and the current solutions do not provide major brands with market clearing collaborative solutions.”
Getting Started
A senior consultant will work directly with you to provide a detailed analysis of HVCs and the potential financial as well as reputational impact they can inflict on your brand.
With a better understanding of the full counterfeit landscape in your industry – including how sales of counterfeit goods in your market segment overlap among major brands – you will see how your corporation is affected in relation to the greater market. Rowan will then manage an enforcement program to force counterfeiters out of the market and drive buyers to purchase your authentic products.
Contact us to learn more or for a free analysis of HVCs selling your products.
Rowan Legal Management Consulting
Market Overview
The consulting industry is growing, with corporations seeking the expertise of leading consulting firms, such as McKinsey & Company, Inc. and KPMG International to gain a competitive edge. In 2017, the global strategy consulting market was $43.07 billion USD and is predicted to experience a considerable compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.9% from 2018 – 2025, reaching $91.38 billion by 2025. (Research and Markets, November 2018)
Overview of Rowan’s Services
Rowan provides senior advisory services for business leaders looking to craft and implement corporate legal strategies that deliver competitive differentiation.
Our management consulting services are designed for three primary groups:
- Financial buyers, sellers and investors: Rowan assists in pre-investment or transactional diligence, including sector analysis and competitiveness research. Rowan also provides post-merger management solutions designed to capture strategic gains through legal departments. In connection with potential acquisitions, investments, divestitures and similar transactions, we have assisted private equity and venture capital investors in evaluating specific IP assets and broad technology landscapes for both individual businesses and entire industries.
- Lenders and underwriters: When lenders or underwriters want their own view of a company’s competitive IP position they come to Rowan TELS for unbiased evaluations that are user-friendly enough to take to committee.
- IP organizations: Rowan delivers comprehensive intellectual property strategies that strengthen a company’s position in the marketplace. Our team also creates successful targeted acquisition programs and IP license or transaction syndication plans.
“Rowan’s strategy and legal teams worked exceptionally well together to help us craft a well-rounded IP portfolio.”