Uber – valued?

‘Uber, the global on-demand taxi service, has achieved one of the highest valuations for a start-up with venture capital backing by fetching a price tag of $18.2 billion in a private fundraising’ noted The Times earlier this week.

‘The price looks absurd’ notes the Business Analysis section of the Guardian, ‘ … the notion that Uber will be allowed to enjoy a virtual monopoly looks questionable.  If taxi drivers are willing to surrender 20% of their fees, there will be competition, because there are plenty of talented software designers in the world.’

To reduce the risk of such competition, Uber Technologies Inc. has:

• filed patent applications to its ‘system and method for arranging transport amongst parties through use of mobile devices’
• registered the design of its computer interfaces and icon
• highlighted the issue of copyright infringement on its website

It has also protected the ‘UBER’ brand name and logo by trade mark registration.  According to The Times, this brand was inadvertently given publicity worth tens of millions of pounds by the recent protest against the Uber mini-cab app organised by London black cab drivers.

This is but one of many ways of using intellectual property in engineering business. You should of course seek professional advice on your own particular circumstances.