Judge tosses Apple motion, allows patent troll Lodsys to continue rampage

Lodsys became one of the most-scorned patent holders in 2011, by making seemingly small cash demands (just 0.575 percent of your revenue, please!) against small app makers, who it said were infringing its patents that cover in-app purchasing and upgrades.

Within months, that brought a legal challenge by Apple, which saw a clear threat to its ecosystem. Apple had already paid to license Lodsys patents when they were in the hands of an earlier owner—Intellectual Ventures. So Apple went to court, arguing that Lodsys can't demand additional payments by threatening iOS developers.

Now, after two years of litigation, it's back to square one. The East Texas judge overseeing Lodsys' systematic patent attack on app developers has refused to even consider Apple's motion. Instead, he allowed the patent-holding company to settle all its cases—and then dismissed Apple's motion as moot. By doing so, US District Judge Rodney Gilstrap—who has inherited the patent-happy East Texas court that once belonged to patent-troll favorite T. John Ward—has enabled Lodsys to threaten developers for months, and perhaps even years, to come.(click here for full article)

New Youtube Channel: My Views, Telecom News - In a Minute

Check it out, I stated a new Youtube channel 
(http://www.youtube.com/user/nashawnbranch) called: 

My Views, Telecom News- In a Minute

This channel offers unique, funny, and  opinionated videos of the  telecommunications industry.  Please subscribe and like to follow my you tube channel.

Who create the first cellphone? - Jesse Eugene Russell

Jesse Eugene Russell was born April 26, 1948 in Hickville, Tennessee in the United States of America into a large African-American family with eight brothers and two sisters. He is the son of Charles Albert Russell and Mary Louise Russell. His early childhood was spent in economically and socially challenged neighborhoods within the inner-city of Nashville. During his early years, he focused on athletics and not academics.

A key turning point in Russell’s life was the opportunity to attend a summer educational program at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. Russell participated in this educational opportunity and began his academic and intellectual pursuits. Russell continued his education at Tennessee State University Tennessee State University where he focused on electrical engineering. A Bachelor of Science Degree (BSEE) in Electrical Engineering was conferred in 1972 from Tennessee State University. As a top honor student in the School of Engineering, Russell became the first African American to be hired directly from a Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) by AT&T Bell Laboratories and subsequently became the first African-American in the United States to be selected as the Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding Young Electrical Engineer of the Year in 1980. Russell continued his academic pursuits and obtained his Master of Electrical Engineering (MSEE) degree from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, in 1973.

Russell’s innovations in wireless communication systems, architectures and technology related to radio access networks, end user devices and in-building wireless communication systems has fundamentally changed the wireless communication industry. Known for his patented invention of the digital cellular base station, that enabled new digital services for cellular mobile users, Russell continues to innovate in the emerging next generation broadband wireless communication technologies, products, networks, and services as well as “Mobile Cloud Computing” which are shaping the forefront of the 4G Communication Industry.

Over 100 patents granted or in process, thirty years of experience in Research and Development at prominent institutions, and pioneering technologies such as the invention of the first digital cellular base station and fiber optic microcell utilizing high power linear amplifier technology and digital modulation techniques, which laid the foundation for the digital cellular evolution, digital cellular standards, personal communications networks as well as the emergence of “Mobile Cloud Computing” within 4G broadband wireless networks. These are only some of the inventions that have forged new directions for the wireless communication industry.

Tell a Story!

Have you ever visited a kindergarten class during story time? It is the most capitivating experience you will ever see. I don't care what the children are doing, they will run to sit down, sit up close, cross their legs and endure rug burns just to hear the latest fairy tale.

Are adults any different? When I was learning to pitch ideas, I learned that people want to hear a story about something they can identify with. I learned that if you can put your initial presentation in a story format, people will listen. We are all programmed to communicate like this and it is very easy to build confidence speaking when you have an attentive audience. So next time you are nervous about public speaking, try starting out with a story for your pitch and watch your prospect's face light up like its story time in the kindergarten class again.

Keep achieving,
NaShawn

One Thing all Venture Capitalist Want!

In my last post, I stated that I would write about the one thing that every venture capitalist wants to see in a new venture. Initially, I had every inclination of a prompt response. However, I soon discovered that the answer to the question was not so "cut and dry. "

I did some research and found a lot of cookie cutter speculation in many blogs, magazines and publications. But, I did not want to take this lame approach, so instead, I conducted my own research and called some VC's to get their response. Here are the results:

After surveying 100 VC'c and three weeks later, My results were... there was not a clear cut answer. In this case, some VC's said ROI or Management Team, or traction, but nothing conclusive.

Often times in research we want one thing to put our finger on one thing and have that "Ah ha" moment but in realty, real world research does not always demonstrate any significance of one factor over another.

This is why I think there is so much speculation about this topic because people sell they claims/opinions as if it is fact to desperate business owners looking for investors. However, I would rather keep my integrity and give you the cold facts.

Nevertheless, my research was not in vain. After talking with a couple of VC's, they did elude to one trait that I think is worth mentioning. They all stated that they had no emotional attachment to a business and what the liked from the owner was confidence.

Not the type of confidence that you see at the bar from desperate old men trying to pick up 21 year olds, but the type of business confidence that comes with communicating how the VC is going to get their money back. This is something we can build on.

So here is the question, "what is a good way to practice speaking to convey confidence?" In my next post I will address this answer.

NaShawn
PS If you have something you want me to address, drop me a line.

What is wrong with My Business Plan?

I remember my first time writing a business plan after graduate school. I was so sure my business would be successful. Armed with a MBA degree, I happily purchased a business plan software, gathered research, and carefully crafted my plan. After completing the plan in 6 months (yes, it took that long) I began shopping it around to investors, VCs, and banks.

After no interest, I hired a consultant and asked him, “what am I doing wrong?” He chuckled and said, “no one cares about your business idea.” I was so embarrassed and crushed but in the conversation, I came away with some valuable information. As he explained, investors want guarantees that they will get their money. I learned that a business plan is not just about describing your idea, it is also about articulating how the investor is going to get a BIG return on investment (ROI).

I recently interviewed Andrew Forsdick from Addison Capital Advisors in Memphis TN. Addison Capital Advisors is a venture capital firm based in Memphis, TN focused on seed and early stage deals. Andrew gave me an interview and stated that he finds that all start-ups need financial accounting help. According to Andrew, “Entrepreneurs are good at coming up with ideas but are not good in articulating how the business is going to make money.”

I have read thousands of business plans that have this fatal error. Even the most experienced Executives sometimes have unrealistic forecasts and problems demonstrating a good ROI for investors. In reviewing your business plan, this is a hint of what is wrong with most business plans.

In my next post, I will discuss a good, structured deal that will attract VCs. Stay tuned!

NaShawn

Making Connections with Venture Capitalist

I recently read an article for entrepreneurs outlining all of the different venture capitalists in the US. The list contained a list for early seed investors as well as mezzanine rounds. After making some calls and making connections, I found out some valuable information.

What I did not know is that VC's have certain times in the year for investing. Some invest in the beginning of the year others invest based on their fiscal year. Bottom line, knowing the time of the year that VC's invest money can save a lot of time and help you coordinate launch times, presentations, and sales pitches.

Over the next couple of posts, I am going to include more information about making connections with VC's. Stay tuned for more information.

NaShawn

Balance Scorecard for AT&T

It has been quite a while since I blogged but I have been very busy with my classes. In my financial management class, I had to develop a balanced scorecard. The balance scorecard developed by Harvard researchers Drs. Robert Kaplan (Harvard Business School) and David Norton. According to the Balance Scorecard Institute, “The balance scorecard is a strategic planning and management system that is used extensively in business and industry, government, and nonprofit organizations worldwide to align business activities to the vision and strategy of the organization, improve internal and external communications, and monitor organization performance against strategic goals. In this case, I used the status of the wireless battle over the iPhone between Verizon and AT&T to map out a strategy to beat the competition.

Here is a link to the final project: http://www.box.net/shared/go5bt9eqll

FCC RELEASES NEW LOCAL TELEPHONE COMPETITION DATA. Third Collection to Comprehensively Include Interconnected VoIP

New competition telecom data

View more documents from NaShawn Branch.

The Real Reason Clients Need a Business Plan‏

Sales of 3DTV sets are off to a slow start

Less than 10% of the people who have heard about 3D television sets expressed interest in buying one, according to a Leichtman Research Group survey that found 80% of respondents were familiar with the technology. "With modest consumer demand for 3D-capable TVs, the potential growth of 3DTV will rely on a continued push of 3DTV by manufacturers and retailers, as well as the fact that about one-fifth of all U.S. households purchase a new TV each year," said analyst Bruce Leichtman.Click here to see the full article at Home Media Magazine

HOW TO RECEIVE A BROADCAST TV STATION IF IT IS DROPPED FROM YOUR PAY TV SERVICE.

Cable operators and other pay TV service providers, such as satellite operators, carry local television broadcast stations based on contracts with the stations. When these contracts end, the parties generally extend or renew these contracts. The process by which the contracts are negotiated is known as “retransmission consent.” In almost all cases, agreement is reached and stations continue to be carried without interruption. On some occasions, the pay TV service provider and the station fail to reach an agreement, and the pay TV service provider is required by law to stop carrying that station until an agreement is reached. These are private agreements, though federal law requires the parties to negotiate with each other in good faith.

What can I do if a local broadcast television station is no longer available on my pay TV service?(Click here) for the answer to this important question from the FCC.

Happy Holidays

Smart Phone vs. Black Berry for Small Business

There used to be a time when the Blackberry was the phone of choice for corporations. In fact, Blackberry has 43% of the “corporate” market share. Recently, new Smartphones are gaining market share in the small to medium business arena. New business applications make the smart phone a cool alternative.

According to CNET, the best five smart phones fall into two categories: Android and iPhones. The top five smart phones are the Samsung EPIC 4 (SPRINT), Apple iPhone 4 (AT&T), Motorola Droid (Verizon), T-Mobile G2, and Samsung S (click here for article)

Android has over 80,000 apps and according to Small Business News, the top Android app that small businesses should be paying attention to is Layar. (Click here for the full listing)

iPhone boasts over 300,000 apps and according to American Express Open Forum, the top business app is Quick Office Mobile Office Suite. (Click here for full list)

Blackberry released a new Smartphone called the Blackberry Torch. Its touch screen features give a wink and nod to both iPhone and Android users. Although the Blackberry does not have as many apps as the Android and iPhone, it does possess a good catalog of apps appealing not only to the business world, but also for personal fun. It is also plans to compete with the iPad with its new tablet called, “Blackberry Playbook”

Do you think that smart phones can compete with the blackberry in the small business marketplace?

Keep Achieving,
NaShawn

How to Hire a Management Consultant

NaShawn Branch: telecommunications Management Consultant Brochure

Telecommunications Financing Options for Small Business Telecom Companies

Author: Andrew Stratton

If your small business were a grocery store or automotive mechanic shop, most every lender in the U.S. would immediately understand your business model. If you were to approach them looking for a line of credit, they would be able to rather quickly determine if your business is able to receive some small business financing from them or not. However, as the owner of a telecommunications company you know that this is not always the case for your industry. Traditional lenders just simply do not understand how telecom companies do business and the intracacies of telecommunications funding.

If you are a large multi-national telecom company, funding abounds for you just simply because of the huge amount of revenue your business generates month after month. However, if you are a small telecom business, obtaining that line of credit can be much more difficult. When you approach a traditional lender for funding, you will likely find that they do not understand your business model and telecommunications financing in general. It is not in the traditional banker's interest to work with telecommunications businesses with receivables that are all small amounts with many customers. Generally, your receivables take 45 or more days to receive after delivery of services. Because these billing issues are unique to the telecom industry, traditional lenders do not fully comprehend the fine details and tend to choose to deal with businesses in more traditional roles.

Once your small telecommunications business is on solid ground, and you are looking to expand your market base, there are three options readily availablec to you for obtaining small business financing. These three options are: factoring, asset based solutions, and investment capital. Let's take a quick look at each of these options:

Factoring: Factoring is a financing process which allows your company to borrow money against its receivables; your receivables are used as the collateral for the loan. The down side to traditional factoring is that this type of funding generally comes with high interest rates. By finding a lender with telecommunications financing experience, you can sometimes find a lower rate. This makes factoring a strong consideration only if you are able to locate a specialized lender with telecommunications financing experience.

Asset Based Solutions: Asset based funding solutions involve using your existing contracts, equipment, and other assets, as the collateral for your funding. This can be a good option to consider if you have a lot of assets or large contracts to leverage. However, if you own a very small local telecom company, your company may not have the assets or contracts to make this form of funding work. In that case, investment capital may be a good option to consider.

Investment Capital: If your business is open to the idea of investment capital, versus a traditional line of credit, investment capital can be a win-win situation for everyone.

While finding small business financing can be challenging in the telecommunications industry, it is not impossible. When it is time for your small telecom company to expand you should consider factoring, asset based solutions, and investment capital as possible options. Whatever your decision may be, as long as it fits within your long-term business plans, then you are sure to succeed.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/telecommunications-financing-options-for-small-business-telecom-companies-178962.html

About the AuthorThermo Credit, LLC is a financial services company focused exclusively on telecommunications financing. Our objective is to serve established companies that need capital to expand their operations. Learn more about Thermo Credit at http://www.thermocredit.com.

Kung fu fighting in telecommunications industry

"Everyone was Kung Fu fighting,
Those cats were fast lightning.
It was a little bit frightening,
You have to have perfect timing."

These are the lyrics to this famous song of the 70's but the same is true today. For example, Business owners of telecommunications businesses, may be singing the same tune. Small-to medium business in the telecommunications industry only have a small window to beat the competition because technology is changing rapidly. Therefor it is imperative that business owners have a higher level of performing business analysis.

Evaluating marketing plans, potential markets, and customer buying habits require a higher level approach. Many management consultants only perform return on investments (ROI) formulas. However, a higher level of statistics is required for a higher level of confidence. Does your consultant possess these skills? These are some of the questions that you need to ask before you hire a management consultant.

If you have questions about performing a statistical analysis for your small-to- medium telecommunications business, I will be happy to provide a FREE consultation and demonstrate how a statistical analysis can benefit your business.

NaShawn

Telecommunications Humor

What is a Telecommunications Management Consultant?

To answer this question, we must first define what a management consultants does. A management consultant works to define ineffectiveness with in an organization. Therefor, a Telecommunications Management Consultant usually works in the arena of telecommunications industry. There are two separate focuses 1) working to reduce telecommunications expenses for companies (usually not telecommunications businesses) and 2) working with managers at telecommunications organizations to improve their business operations.

So what do I do? I work with telecommunications organizations to improve their performance, primarily through the analysis of existing business problems and development of plans for improvement.