When patents expire, they become free for anyone to use, opening doors for businesses to adopt previously restricted technologies without legal risks or licensing fees. However, tracking these expirations is complex—requiring expertise in patent databases—and most startups and small businesses lack the resources to do it systematically. A centralized platform that monitors and alerts users about relevant patent expirations could level the playing field, helping businesses capitalize on opportunities like Ryan Breslow’s Bolt, which built on Amazon’s expiring one-click checkout patent.

How It Could Work

The platform could pull patent records from public databases like the USPTO and WIPO, allowing users to track patents by industry, technology, or specific criteria. Key features might include:

• Custom Alerts: Notifications when tracked patents near expiration (e.g., 6–12 months in advance).
• Simplified Summaries: AI-generated explanations of patent claims to help non-experts understand their potential.
• Commercial Potential Estimates: Insights into how an expiring patent could be applied in products or services.

Potential users range from startups seeking untapped technologies to investors looking for trends. Revenue could come from subscription tiers, with higher-priced plans offering expert analyses or API access.

Standing Out from Existing Tools

Current patent databases like Google Patents or WIPO’s PatentScope focus on searchability, not proactive tracking. Paid services like IP.com emphasize patent novelty rather than expiration dates. This idea fills a gap by:

• Prioritizing Timeliness: Highlighting soon-to-expire patents that others overlook.
• Reducing Noise: Letting users filter alerts by relevance, avoiding information overload.
• Improving Over Time: User-saved patents could train algorithms to suggest better matches.

Getting Started

A basic version could begin with USPTO data and manual tracking, then expand to global databases and AI features. Early testing might involve:

• Gauging demand through waitlists or targeted ads.
• Interviewing R&D teams to understand how they’ve used patent expirations in the past.

Legal complexities—like misinterpreted claims—could be mitigated with disclaimers or partnerships with IP lawyers for premium users.

By focusing on a narrow but high-impact need, this idea could help businesses act faster on opportunities hidden in patent expirations.