Why Every Patent Owner Needs to Revisit Their IP Strategy in 2026
I talk to patent owners every week. Inventors, startup founders, small company CEOs. Almost all of them went through the same grueling process to get their patent granted including the drafting, the office actions, the back and forth with examiners, the waiting. And almost all of them did the same thing once they got that grant notice: they celebrated, maybe framed the certificate and moved on.
I get it. The patent process is exhausting. By the time you're done, the last thing you want to think about is more patent work.
But here's what I keep seeing: patents sitting idle while the market around them changes completely. And that's where the real waste happens, not in the filing fees but in the missed opportunities.
Nord Security Gets It
Nord Security made news recently when they announced they've hit 400 patents worldwide. They were at 100 just two years ago. Their patent manager said something that stuck with me, every patent they file represents a bet on the future of cybersecurity and they're building defensible positions in distributed networks, autonomous operations and quantum resistant cryptography.
That's not a company collecting trophies. That's a company using patents as a competitive weapon. They're looking at where the market is headed, identifying the technologies that will matter and locking down protection before their competitors do.
Most patent owners I work with aren't in a position to file 300 patents in two years. But the mindset applies at any scale. Even if you own a single patent, the question is are you treating it as a living asset or is it collecting dust?
What Changes After You File
Here's what most people don't realize. The market you filed your patent into probably looks different now than it did when you wrote the application.
I had a client last year who filed a patent in 2018 covering a specific sensor configuration for wearable devices. At the time, they were focused on fitness trackers. Fast forward to today and that same sensor configuration is showing up in medical monitoring devices, industrial safety equipment and smart home products. The patent hadn't changed but the market around it had expanded dramatically. They had no idea until we ran an infringement search and started finding products he'd never heard of.
That's not unusual. Companies in industries you've never considered might be building products that land squarely within your patent claims. New startups enter the market every month. International competitors develop similar products independently without ever looking at your patent. The landscape shifts constantly and if you're not periodically checking, you won't know what you're missing.
On the flip side, I've also seen patents that seemed incredibly valuable at filing but have since been designed around by competitors or made less relevant by new standards. Knowing that is equally important because you might be paying maintenance fees on a patent that's no longer worth maintaining.
The Drawer Problem
I call it the drawer problem. You get your patent, you put it somewhere safe and you go back to running your business or working on your next invention. Nobody tells you what to do next because, frankly, the patent system isn't set up to help you with that part.
Your patent attorney did their job, they got you through prosecution and secured your grant. But most attorneys don't circle back a year or two later and say, "Hey, have you checked whether anyone's using your technology? Do you know what your patent is worth now? Have you thought about licensing?"
That's not a knock on patent attorneys. They're busy and post-grant strategy usually isn't part of the engagement. But it means there's a gap between owning a patent and actually doing something productive with it. And for most independent inventors and smaller companies that gap never gets filled.
So What Does "Revisiting Your Strategy" Actually Mean?
It's simpler than it sounds. There are really just a few questions you need to answer and each one points you toward a specific next step.
What's the patent worth? Not in some abstract "this could be valuable someday" sense. An actual dollar figure based on market data, comparable transactions, income potential for the company and the specific characteristics of your patent. At MRT Patents, we use analytics that look at 80+ indicators including citation patterns, family size, technology field trends, patent age and run them through models trained on real licensing deals and auction results. You get a number. That number becomes the foundation for every other decision.
I can't tell you how many conversations I've had with patent owners who want to license their technology but have no idea what to ask for. They'll throw out a number based on gut feel or something they read online and it's either way too high (which kills the conversation) or way too low (which leaves money on the table). A proper valuation can help fix that.
Is anyone using my technology right now? This is the question that gets people excited, and honestly, it's one of my favorite parts of what we do. Our Infringement Search, Claim Chart and Evidence of Use report runs an infringement search against your patent claims and identifies specific products on the market that may be using your technology. We find up to five products and build detailed claim charts mapping their product features to your claims side by side.
The reactions I get from clients when they see their first claim chart are always the same, a mix of surprise and validation. Surprise because they usually discover companies and products they had no idea existed. Validation because they can finally see, in concrete terms, that their invention isn't just theoretical. It's out there in the real world potentially being used without their permission.
Who else is patenting in my space? A patent landscape report shows you the broader picture. Who are the other players? Are there patent clusters forming around certain technologies? Are there open spaces where your patent stands alone? This matters because it tells you whether you have a dominant position worth defending aggressively or whether you're one of many in a crowded field where a different approach might make more sense.
Then what? Once you have real answers to those three questions, the path forward usually becomes pretty clear. Maybe you approach a few companies about licensing. Maybe you decide to sell. Maybe you file additional patents to shore up your position. Maybe you realize a patent isn't worth the maintenance fees anymore and you let it go. All legitimate outcomes. The point is that you're making the decision based on actual information rather than assumptions from three or five years ago.
Why I Think 2026 Is the Year to Do This
A few things are happening right now that make this a particularly good time for patent owners to take a hard look at their portfolios.
The USPTO has been shifting under Director Squires. There's been a real recalibration in how the office handles patent eligibility especially for AI and software inventions. Examiners are getting new guidance, and the overall tone is more favorable toward patent owners than it has been in years. If you've got patents in tech, software or AI-adjacent fields, the ground may have shifted in your favor since you last checked.
Patent licensing keeps growing as a global business. The market is approaching $3 billion and the deals are getting bigger and more sophisticated. InterDigital just signed a new licensing agreement with LG. Nokia and Hisense settled a multi-jurisdictional patent dispute. Apple won a major case against Optis Wireless over 4G patents. These are massive companies negotiating over patent rights because the stakes are enormous. But the same principles apply at smaller scale, if someone is using your patented technology, you have leverage. You just need the evidence to prove it.
And competition is intensifying everywhere. Companies like Nord Security aren't building patent portfolios because they have nothing better to do with their R&D budget. They're doing it because they understand that in a crowded market, intellectual property is one of the few things that gives you a durable competitive advantage. If your competitors are strengthening their patent positions and you're standing still then you're falling behind whether you realize it or not.
You Don't Need a Big Law Firm for This
I want to be direct about this because I think it's a common misconception that keeps people from taking action. You do not need a law firm on retainer to revisit your patent strategy. You don't need a six figure consulting engagement. You don't need to hire an in-house IP team.
What you need is information. Specific, actionable information about the value of your patent, the competitive landscape, and whether anyone is using your technology. That's exactly what MRT Patents provides, standalone reports, each priced as a one time purchase. Order what you need, get your answers and move forward.
If I had to pick one place to start, I'd say get the valuation. Know the number. Everything else, licensing conversations, sale negotiations, enforcement decisions, gets easier once you know what you're working with.
If you want to go deeper, the Infringement Search, Claim Chart and EOU report is where the real "aha" moments happen. Seeing your patent claims mapped against actual products on the market changes the way you think about your IP. It stops being a document and starts being a tool.
Don't Let Your Patent Outlive Its Usefulness Without Ever Being Used
Your patent has a finite life. Twenty years from the filing date, it expires and whatever protection it offered is gone. Every year that passes without you understanding its value and acting on it is a year you can't get back.
I'm not saying every patent is a goldmine. Some patents are more valuable than others and some markets are more receptive to licensing than others. But you can't know which category yours falls into unless you look.
Take the patent out of the drawer. See what it's worth. Find out who might be using it. Understand where you stand. Then make a decision.
That's not complicated. It's just smart.
Mike Recker runs MRT Patents, a patent analytics company that provides patent valuations, infringement searches, claim charts and landscape reports for inventors, startups, patent attorneys and businesses. Visit mrtpatents.com or email info@mrtpatents.com.