Toronto intellectual property lawyer Erika Murray says her firm has seen a spike in end-of-year patent filings that has piqued her curiosity as to why the holidays are such a busy time for inventors.
One of the more obvious reasons is that during the holiday season, many companies are also getting ready for their fiscal year-ends, she tells AdvocateDaily.com.
“Though not all companies have a Dec. 31 year-end, many do, and organizations with budgets that expire appear to be incentivized to file their intellectual property applications prior to the holidays — while their budgets still allow,” she explains.