White Space as an Asset: Using Competitor Patent Gaps to Build Licensing Leverage

Introduction Patent strategy is conventionally described in the language of defence: a portfolio exists to ward off infringement suits, to deter copying, and to signal technological credibility to investors. This framing, while accurate, captures only half of what a well-constructed portfolio can do. The more deliberate and increasingly common use of patent strategy is offensive in a quiet, structural sense: companies study the patent filings of their competitors, identify the technical...