From Star Wars Dreams to Real Holograms: The Bold Q&A with Avalon Holographics’ Wally

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On this episode of The Bold Inventor Show, patent attorney J.D. Houvener and trademark attorney Matt Kulseth dive into another round of hot Q&A before welcoming a visionary guest who is literally building the future.

The hosts open with practical, rapid-fire legal insights:

• Can a patent filing undermine your ability to secure a trademark?
• How long do international design patents really take?
• Are text messages about your “expiring trademark” scams? (Spoiler: yes).
• Why provisional patents often get misunderstood — and what inventors should know before filing.

Then the show levels up into pure sci-fi reality. Wally, founder of Avalon Holographics, joins to share how his team of 100+ researchers, 120 patents, and a decade of development have led to the world’s first true holographic display. Not smoke and mirrors. Not VR goggles. Real holograms that pop up on a tabletop like something out of Star Wars.

He explains how their technology manipulates billions of light rays per second to create holograms so realistic you instinctively try to touch them. He shares how defense and medical industries are early adopters, why the Michael Jackson “hologram” in Vegas isn’t a hologram at all, and why consumer holographic walls, floors, and even holodecks may not be far away.

The conversation also unpacks the business of deep tech:

• Why Avalon invests heavily in patents as a land grab in uncharted physics.
• How startups should “fall in love with the problem, not the solution.”
• Why true holography is still millions per unit today, but could follow the path of black-and-white TVs to mainstream adoption.

This is an episode for inventors, entrepreneurs, and anyone who has ever dreamed of seeing science fiction become science fact.

📌 Key Takeaways

• ⚖️ Patent filings don’t always block trademarks — strategy matters.
• 🚨 Beware trademark scams — USPTO will never text you.
• ⏱️ International design patents usually issue faster than utility patents.
• 🌐 Avalon Holographics leads with 120+ patents protecting true light-field holography.
• 💡 Billions of light rays per second make holograms possible — not VR, not projections.
• 🎯 Defense + healthcare are first movers where visualization = life-or-death.
• 🛠️ Deep tech takes patience — 10 years, 100 people, countless iterations.
• 🔑 Entrepreneur wisdom: fall in love with the problem, not just your solution.

🎬 Teasers 

• Can a patent actually hurt your trademark chances?
• Why those “trademark renewal” texts are a scam.
• What separates real holograms from Vegas illusions?
• How Avalon Holographics built the world’s first tabletop hologram.
• When will kids first see consumer holograms?

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DISCLAIMER
Everything discussed on this podcast is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice.