MMRGlobal And Its Patents On PHRs Could Turn Out To Be A Big Nuisance. Maybe NEHTA Should Just Buy The Company!

The following appeared a few days ago.

PCEHR faces patent probe

• by: Fran Foo
• From: The Australian
• February 08, 2013 4:16PM

US software firm MyMedicalRecords.com is investigating a possible infringement of its patents by the National E-Health Transition Authority (Nehta), which is spearheading the rollout of the national personally controlled e-health records system.

In a statement, MyMedicalRecords.com, a subsidiary of MMRGlobal, said that "both state and federal governments in Australia, through Nehta, appear to be infringing on patents and other intellectual property issued to MyMedicalRecords.com".

The PCEHR allegedly broadly incorporates numerous portions of the company's intellectual property, MMRGlobal said in a statement.

The company claimed that the infringement included two patents it holds in Australia.
Lots more here:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/government/pcehr-faces-patent-probe/story-fn4htb9o-1226573764753

I have been watching this for a while (since this appeared this time last year). It is cited in this blog:

http://aushealthit.blogspot.com/2012/02/weekly-australian-health-it-links-20th.html

Feb. 17, 2012, 8:35 a.m. EST

MMRGlobal and VisiInc Sign Agreement to License MMR Australian Patent Portfolio on the Road to HIMSS

LOS ANGELES, CA, Feb 17, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- MMRGlobal, Inc. MMRF 0.00% ("MMR"), a leading provider of Personal Health Records ("PHR"), MyEsafeDepositBox storage solutions and electronic document management and imaging systems for healthcare professionals, today announced that the Company and VisiInc PLC in Australia signed an agreement to license MMR's Australian patents for "Method and System for Providing Online Medical Records" for use in MMR and Visi(TM) consumer and professional health IT products and services, including the MyMedicalRecords Personal Health Record. The Agreement calls for minimum performance royalty guarantees of nearly one million dollars. The Agreement also calls for VisiInc to start selling the services in Australia starting June 1, 2012. In addition, the Agreement contains an understanding allowing the companies to utilize each other's consumer and professional products and services. VisiInc is also seeking rights to sell MMR products in additional territories such as in Eastern Europe where VisiInc already does business.
…..

Personal Health Records are a priority for the Australian government and a significant part of Australia's eHealth technology market, which will serve a population of 22 million and is currently projected to be USD $2.6 billion in 2012. MMR's Australian patent portfolio can give VisiInc a significant competitive advantage in the market by controlling intellectual property rights that are primary to providing PHRs in line with government initiatives. The Medical Software Industry Association in Australia detailed an alternative rollout schedule to the government's Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) that calls for PDFs currently used by clinicians and shared by email or fax to be a solution in electronic online form until at least July 2013 because standardization is not going to occur before at least then. MMR's proprietary health IT solutions align with this strategy.

See here:

http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/mmrglobal-visiinc-sign-agreement-license-mmr-australian-patent-portfolio-on-road-himss-otcbb-mmrf-1621276.htm

Here is a listing from the Marketwatch.com site of some recent press releases

You can get the flavour of what is on the company’s mind from this selection of press release titles.

1.       MMRGlobal Investigates Possible Infringement of Company's Patents and Intellectual Property

9:25 a.m. Feb. 5, 2013

2.       MMRGlobal Patents Drive Revenue Through First Interbit Data Hospital Installation

8:35 a.m. Feb. 4, 2013

3.       MyMedicalRecords Files Patent Infringement Complaint Against Walgreens

8:35 a.m. Jan. 31, 2013

4.       MMRGlobal Featured in Patent and Personal Health Records Research Report

8:35 a.m. Jan. 23, 2013

5.       Is MMR Global's Personal Health Records Patent Portfolio Worth a Closer Look?

8:02 a.m. Jan. 23, 2013

6.       MMRGlobal and Interbit Data Sign Patent License Agreement to Sell PHRs to 750 Hospitals

6:45 a.m. Jan. 7, 2013

7.       Alcatel-Lucent Showcases Cloud-Based ng Connect Services Including MyMedicalRecords Telehealth Portal

11:11 a.m. Jan. 3, 2013

8.       Alcatel-Lucent Features MyMedicalRecords PHR in Collaborative Presentation at CES

8:35 a.m. Dec. 21, 2012

9.       VISIINC PLC Announces Installations of VISI-MMRPro Systems in Burkhart Dental Offices

8:35 a.m. Dec. 20, 2012

10.   MMRGlobal Inks Royalty-Based License Agreement With Electronic Health Record Provider Healthcare Holdings Group and PHR Competitor Access My Records

8:35 a.m. Dec. 18, 2012

11.   MMRGlobal Receives Notice of Allowance for Seventh Patent Adding 27 Claims to Its Patented Method and System for Providing Online Medical Records

8:35 a.m. Dec. 13, 2012

12.   MMRGlobal Files Form 8-K Regarding Signing of Patent License Agreement, Dr. Shekhar Challa to Medical Board of Advisors

8:35 a.m. Dec. 10, 2012

13.   MMRGlobal Receives Fifth Patent Expanding Rights to Control of Online Medical Records

8:35 a.m. Nov. 26, 2012

14.   MMRGlobal at Verizon and Alcatel-Lucent Healthcare and Life Science Symposium in Las Vegas Today

8:35 a.m. Nov. 13, 2012

15.   MMRGlobal Receives New Medical Records Patent as Superstorm Demonstrates Need During Hospital Evacuations

8:35 a.m. Nov. 5, 2012

16.   MMRGlobal Receives Broad EMR PHR Patent

7:35 a.m. Oct. 31, 2012

17.   MMRGlobal Has Record-Breaking Million Dollar Quarter

7:35 a.m. Oct. 22, 2012

18.   An Update to Shareholders on the Significance of MMRGlobal's Patent Portfolio to Revenue

7:35 a.m. Oct. 15, 2012

19.   MMRGlobal Health IT Patent Portfolio Featured in Leading Civic News Site

8:45 a.m. Oct. 11, 2012

20.   MMRGlobal Announces Expansive Health IT Patent & Licensing Initiative

7:36 a.m. Oct. 9, 2012

21.   MMRGlobal Helps Mitigate Expense of Healthcare Rules Penalizing Hospitals for Patients' Readmissions

6:35 a.m. Oct. 2, 2012

22.   MMRGlobal Signs Multi-Year Recurring Sales Contract for MMRPro

6:35 a.m. Oct. 1, 2012

23.   MMRGlobal Receives Notice of Allowance for Dominant Game-Changing Personal Health Record Patent

6:35 a.m. Sept. 24, 2012

24.   Mike Dietrich Joins MMRGlobal to Bring Personal Health Records to Retail, Education and Government

6:35 a.m. Sept. 19, 2012

25.   MMRGlobal Executives on the Move, Company to Attend APAC Innovation Showcase With Alcatel-Lucent and ng Connect

6:35 a.m. Sept. 4, 2012

26.   MMRGlobal Pursues Infringements of the Company's Health IT Patent Portfolio

6:31 a.m. Aug. 20, 2012

27.   MMRGlobal Files 2012 Second Quarter Earnings Report: Increased Revenue and Decreased Costs Trend Continues

2:44 p.m. Aug. 14, 2012

28.   MMRGlobal Retains Leading Patent Legal and Licensing Team to Vigorously Pursue and Monetize Foundational Patent Portfolio

6:35 a.m. Aug. 9, 2012

29.   MMRGlobal Gets Boost in Value on News 63% of Physicians Continue to Rely on Fax in Healthcare for the Next Decade

5:35 a.m. Aug. 6, 2012

----- End List

The full quote is found here:

http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/MMRF

Note here you find this global company has market cap. of less than $US10M and has 9 employees as well as losing over $US8M last year.

This is a company that is financially as wobbly as one can imagine and should either be bought of simply ignored. They don’t have the resources to do anything much.

Many thanks to the commenter who found the Australian Patents.

Here is a link to those patents

http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/ols/auspat/quickSearch.do?queryString=MyMedicalRecords.com%2C+Inc&resultsPerPage=

2008202401 Method and system for providing online medical records
2006202057 Method and system for providing online medical records

MyMedicalRecords.com, Inc.

There are .pdfs of the applications there dating from a good few years back  (2006 and 2008).

Certainly - at a superficial read - the application has some major similarities to the PCEHR and other PHRs. Taking control of these patents by buying the company might even be a money spinner!

We have seen this sort of thing before of course - with some failing (think Unix and Pharmacy Guild) and some being very profitable (Think what Microsoft has paid out over the years)

Will be interesting to see how this plays out.

David.