Having survived the plummet in sales after 9/11, the aerospace industry worldwide is flying high. Total sales for the US aerospace industry, the world's largest, had reached $200BB before the 2008 financial crisis, as the Department of Defense's purchases and the space sector increase slightly, and commercial aircraft, engines and parts deliveries jump another 15%. Today, the European aerospace industry grosses roughly $130bn in annual revenue.
Feeding the aerospace industry is a diverse mix of Department of Defense military installations, which foster important synergies between private aerospace companies and government entities such as the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA).
Space program expenditures of governments across the world have touched an all time high of more than $62BB in 2008. While $32BB was spent by civil agencies in space programs in 2008. Globally, space program expenditures of governments are projected to reach about $70 billion by 2012.
With all of these developments, new technologies, such as composites and carbon nanotubes are emerging as ideal materials for designing aircraft. Such materials are infinitely flexible, lightweight, and proving to be the right fit for the aerodynamic design of the aircraft.
While radio and satellite phones are the current preferred modes of communication in the aerospace industry, the entry of broadband Internet is expected to revolutionize aircraft communication. Also, researchers are increasing efforts to create more multi-functional primary flight displays.
The executive aircraft segment in particular is witnessing a spate of innovative features for cockpit displays that depict a variety of flight data to pilots, including weather conditions, maps, altitude, terrain, and air traffic. With the need to store vast amounts of flight information in small areas, micro-displays with high resolutions of up to 1.3 mega pixels are likely to surge ahead of conventional cathode ray tube (CRT) display panels in the near future.
As the aerospace, aviation and transportation technologies markets continue to grow, new inventions and innovations will continue to occur. All of these concerns point to increasing activity in the laws, business transactions, and disputes concerning IP in aerospace, aviation and transportation technologies.
Strong patent rights are imperative to encourage investments in R&D and for commercialization of aerospace, aviation and transportation technologies technologies. Small innovative firms rely on patent rights to build businesses around private sector space and aviation technologies.
Patent rights also encourage established manufacturers to invest in aerospace technologies to improve existing product lines. These patented technologies cover a broad spectrum of inventions and innovations, including aircraft parts, design, and display and communication systems.
-
-
To see examples of patents recently issued to protect aerospace, aviation & transportation inventions, click the aboveicon.
-
-
The IP professionals at HULSEYIP possess a long and successful history in protecting, commercializing, and enforcing the IP rights of our clients in a broad array of aerospace, aviation, as well as experience is a variety of other transportation inventions technologies. To see a selection of patents and patent applications prepared and prosecuted by us over the years, click the aboveicon.
