Johnson Kong, here, in South Korea where IP.com is exhibiting at PATINEX 2009. This is not the first year we've participated in this conference. Last year, Tom Colson, CEO of IP.com,  addressed this gathering of IP professionals and business leaders from around the world on Advanced Enterprise Innovation Management and IP Strategies.

PATINEX offers insight into various facade of IP information and latest cutting edge developments of new tools and services for protecting, enforcing and exploiting a company's IP.

Conference host, Jung-Sik Koh, Commissioner, Korean Intellectual Property Office has welcomed us back again this year, and we're having very productive meetings here and enjoying the conference program.

This year, we're featuring IP.com's InnovationQ enterprise solution for organizations with significant portfolios of intellectual property to manage throughout the IP life-cycle.

Also of great interest at this conference is the Prior Art Database, the world's leading repository and registry of prior art.

The IP.com Prior Art Database is a unique database dedicated to the publication of technical disclosure documents. The IP.com Prior Art Database contains content that cannot be found anywhere else, and is an essential source of non-patent prior art data for intellectual property professionals, research and development (R&D) staff, corporate library staff, and individual inventors wishing to research prior art. The IP.com Prior Art Database is home to a wide array of technical disclosures from many Fortune 500 companies. While many publish anonymously to prevent competitive intelligence, you will also find many disclosures published with full authorship information from innovative companies such as IBM, Motorola, and Siemens. The IP.com Prior Art Database is also the exclusive location for new IBM-TDB (Technical Disclosure Bulletin) documents on the Web.

Recently, the Korean Intellectual Propery Office (KIPO) showed its leadership in fast-tracking green patent applications. 

On 1 October 2009, the Korean Patent Office (KIPO) launched its "super speed examination system" for green technology. The system is available for green technologies that minimise the discharge of pollutants, as well as those which have received funding or authentication for green growth. Applicants can apply for super speed examination by requesting a prior art search from one of three agencies authorised to conduct such searches on behalf of KIPO (the Korea Institute of Patent Information (KIPI), WIPS Co. Ltd. or IP Solution Co. Ltd.) and submitting the results of the search to KIPO.

Details of the application procedure for super speed examination and the documents required, etc. are posted on KIPO's website in the News section (article no. 688, published on 2 October 2009): http://www.kipo.go.kr

As Executive Vice President of IP.com and head of the company's Asia Pacific operations, I look forward to working with KIPO and other leading governmental agencies and business organizations to increase efficiencies in management of patent systems. Look for IP.com in the exhibition hall at PATINEX 2009, or contact me personally by email jkong@ip.com at your convenience, and see how we can help.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Technology Transfer and patent licensing by universities has come a long way in the forty years since IP Hall of Fame inductee Niels Reimers first established the Office of Technology Licensing (OTL) at Stanford.

Since then, many academic institutions and laboratories have established some form of Technology Transfer Office, or TTO, as they're generally called, or have designated someone to manage the marketing and licensing of technology invented at the university. There's even a specialty publication dedicated to providing the latest information and best practices, titled Technology Transfer Tactics.

Technology Transfer Tactics is independent and unbiased. It is not affiliated with any organization, government agency, or foundation, or with any vendor or supplier. It is entirely funded by subscription revenue, and accepts no advertising.

For the current issue of the Technology Transfer Tactics monthly newsletter, Cameron J. McCoy of the University of Oklahoma was interviewed about their Intellectual Property Management Office (IPMO), which we've also written about here on our corporate weblog, in connection with the implementation there of IP.com's InnovationQ workflow management software.

You can read the article here and, if you're interested in the latest tactics for technology transfer and licensing, you might want to subscribe to the newsletter of Technology Transfer Tactics.

In addition to the article about the University of Oklahoma's IPMO, the June 2009 Issue of Technology Transfer Tactics has interesting pieces with these headlines:

• TTOs take part in mad scramble for research dollars.
• Examine COI policies as big pharmas take bigger stake in early-stage research.
• Model for patent protection at Virginia Tech speeds up commercialization process, but challenges remain.
  
• TTO uses technology to target IP management/marketing gains.
• ‘Trolls’ have a thing or two to teach TTOs about patent protection.
• Florida start-ups to double with integrated statewide program.

 Click here to subscribe to the Technology Transfer Tactics monthly newsletter

Each issue targets specific challenges in recognizing, protecting, and “marketing” potentially valuable research results, moving the discovery from the sheltered world of the laboratory to successful wide utilization, funding these challenges, and ensuring proper division of recognition and resultant monies. Our editors and writers report expert advice, successful case histories, legal perspectives, and other information that will enable hurdles to be surmounted efficiently and with prudent use of limited resources.

Here's a link to the current issue of Technology Transfer Tactics.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

As CEO of IP.com, Inc. it gives me great pleasure to announce the opening of IP.com's Asia Pacific office in Hong Kong, SAR, China to expand and better service our rapidly growing Asia and Asia Pacific clients. Hong Kong has been selected due to its ideal location and solid legal infrastructure for international commerce.

The Asia Pacific region, especially China, is undergoing massive changes in all aspects of economic might, including the cornerstone of Intellectual Property (IP) governance. China and the greater region are making great contributions to innovation and development of new technology to better humanity worldwide.

The nation’s innovation and intellectual property mandate has become the centerpiece of discussions at conferences and in boardrooms throughout China. The Chinese commitment to building infrastructure for innovation is as deep as its commitment to building roads, bridges, and skyscrapers. And to see the depth of that commitment, one needs only to spend a day in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, or any other Chinese city. At IP.com, we are more than pleased to be working with Chinese business and government leaders in building this infrastructure.

IP.com landed in China more than three years ago, and we have been on the ground there almost every day since. We have worked with law firms, universities, businesses, and the Chinese government, and we look forward to growing our Chinese presence and involvement. At the beginning of this year, we relocated our EVP, Asia Pacific, Johnson Kong, to China. This will be of great value not only to IP.com, but to me personally, as I will be spending 25% of 2009 in China…now I will have a place to call my own…or my home away from home.

On a personal note, not only am I placing an IP.com bet on China, but for the past two years I have been placing a family bet on China as well. Two years ago, I started learning Mandarin with my three daughters, and we continue with our Chinese studies together as a family activity almost every evening. So, we're pleased to express our best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year for our many friends throughout China.

Gōng Xǐ Fā Cái.

The IP.com Hong Kong Office is located within driving distance from Shenzhen, a ferry distance to Macau, and a short flight to Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Shanghai and Beijing are also easily accessible from the IP.com Hong Kong office.

Johnson Kong, Executive Vice President and Head of Asia Pacific, has graciously taken on the personal challenge of relocating his family on our behalf. Mr. Kong is passionate and committed to our Chinese and Asia Pacific business growth initiatives.

IP.com is in the business of providing software and services for innovation management. In his current role, Mr. Kong assists clients in creating and implementing innovation management and intellectual property strategies to advance business goals. He has held several positions from sales & marketing to executive management with leading industries across Asia Pacific, and has become an expert in the creation and implementation of innovation management and intellectual property strategies. Mr. Kong has invented software and business methods associated with the analysis and management of intellectual property.

The new Asia Pacific office of IP.com is located at:

One Harbour View Street
1 IFC
33 Floor, Suite 16
Central
Hong Kong, SAR, China
T: 852-3960-6391
F: 852-2166-8999

For more information, call our US headquarters at 1-716-362-4562 or visit www.ip.com. You can read our company blog, Securing Innovation, where we write about Intellectual Property, not only in English but also in Chinese on matters of interest to our readers in China. You can read, in Chinese, some of the posts by Johnson Kong if you click on this link.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

It's not every day we get the chance to hire someone who's cool, calm, and collected, when swimming with sharks. So, recently, I seized the opportunity to add to IP.com's team a leading patent strategist who's also a recognized shark photographer.

Robert L. Cantrell, one of the founding executives of IP.com, has returned to IP.com, Inc. as a Senior Director of Business Development. His focus will be to develop straight-forward product solutions for companies that are looking for advanced tools to compete using their IP by means other than a traditional patent arms race.

Robert Cantrell is a professional strategist and the author of a recently-published book, Outpacing the Competition: Patent-Based Business Strategy. Robert has managed multiple solution sales and IP consulting engagements across a wide range of technology sectors that include communications, electronics, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, energy, and consumer goods fields. He is also a faculty member of Patent Resources Group (PRG), the leading provider of advanced patent education to the legal and business communities.

Robert's core expertise is in classical strategy, which he carried over from his military experience as in infantry officer with the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army.  His  first book, Understanding Sun Tzu on the Art of War, received critical acclaim and has been selected by the Department of Defense as text for the National War College in Washington DC.

We think you'll enjoy Robert Cantrell's writing here on IP.com's corporate blog, Securing Innovation, and you can follow his thoughts on Twitter @RobertLCantrell, as well. We're really looking forward to working closely with Robert again at IP.com.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Technology Transfer Tactics and Patents Online, LLC today announced a strategic alliance, whereby the two firms are collaborating to offer a unique database of all patents held by major universities in the United States.

Visitors to the Technology Transfer Tactics website can view the current patent portfolio of each of 143 prominent U.S. universities, and with one mouse-click can see the entire patent portfolio of each institution.

Also, from that web page, users can initiate a patent search at www.freepatentsonline.com, which is said to be the most visited site in the world for patent information.

The Technology Transfer Tactics monthly newsletter provides in-depth guidance designed to streamline the commercialization process, as well as maximize the financial benefits of that process for universities and other research organizations.

“Technology Transfer Tactics is the pre-eminent periodical on amplifying and expediting the commercialization process for university IP,” said Erik Reeves, CEO of Patents Online, the company behind FreePatentsOnline. “We are very excited to be working with them to better expose the patent portfolios of all the key schools of higher learning across America. This will bring these universities more opportunities to increase licensing revenues.”

“Historically, the patent portfolios of companies and institutions have been only dimly visible,” said David Schwartz, CEO and Executive Editor of Technology Transfer Tactics. “Not only has FreePatentsOnline aggregated the largest audience in the world for patents and created unrivaled search capability, but they’re applying new ways of sorting and visualizing patent information to help accelerate the commercialization process.”

IP.com Inc. has a special interest in helping universities and research facilities manage their valuable patent portfolios. IP.com and the University of Oklahoma recently announced the launch of the InnovationQ Technology Transfer Workflow application for the University of Oklahoma's Intellectual Property Management Office. You can read more here about how OU is effectively managing its intellectual property assets with InnovationQ, and increasing patent licensing revenues.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

From the archives of IP Law & Business Magazine to the front page of the new IPLB.com website, this interesting article from late last year. Here's a snippet:

Failing to follow sound IP management practices can leave directors and officers liable for breach of loyalty and open to claims of corporate waste...

One classic situation in which director and officer liabilities could arise: A corporation has over time accumulated a substantial IP portfolio whether patents, trademarks, trade secrets, or copyright, and has effectively lost track of what it has. It has not considered how best to maintain or strengthen the protections for the IP, let alone how best to exploit it. The problem is not necessarily in (just) failing to take certain steps to protect the IP or to exploit it, but in the failure to be sufficiently informed to competently consider alternatives so that the decision to take action or not can be defended as one that was given due consideration. This is where sound IP management can enhance internal controls and reduce regulatory and litigation risk.

 Read the article here on the new website for IP Law & Business.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Not since James Bond's boat chase scene in Moonraker have the Venetians had a chance to see such a display of intellectual property management. Tom Petrocelli will be at IPI-ConfEx 2009 in Venice from March 2nd to the 4th.

The conference is of direct interest to information managers and patent searchers and is particularly noted for its coverage of leading-edge ‘how-to’ technical discussions and reviews of information resources. Commercially-available products and services, free patent databases and other unique resources available worldwide for intellectual property research all form part of the program, as well as issues generally affecting the industry. Additional workshops provide optional training/learning opportunities and a chance to brush-up on the latest searching techniques.

This annual forum allows Information Professionals to:

* gather together each year to network with colleagues in other corporations and institutions;
* to update their knowledge on the latest thinking, techniques and tools available;
* to keep at the leading edge of their profession in the demanding patent information industries.

Patent Information Specialists, Information Managers and Scientific & Technical Search Experts working in corporations, academic or government research organisations, or other specialist scientific research environments will benefit from attending.

Tom Petrocelli, IP.com Inc.'s SVP of Enterprise Software, wants to see the latest IP gadgets and will be using Twitter to meetup with others at the conference who love intellectual property. If you want to catch up with Tom at IPI-Confex, subscribe to IP.com Inc.'s Twitter stream @ipdotcom and follow our man in Venice @tompetrocelli and you'll get a chance to see the latest InnovationQ release. If you miss all the action in Venice, email or direct message Tom Petrocelli, and he will track you down when he gets back from his latest mission.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

James Bond's 'Q' Inspires Real-Life Innovators

While 007 is adored by millions for his fictional feats of spydom, Bond would be nothing without his enduring and endearing gadget man, Q.

As the Quartermaster himself reminded Bond in the movie License to Kill, "Remember, if it hadn't been for Q Branch, you'd have been dead long ago."

Innovations for the Field

The character Q was based on a real-life engineer named Charles Fraser Smith. Smith worked for the British Government's Ministry of Supply and designed tools for agents during World War II. Today, Q's influence reverberates throughout government agencies in the United States and abroad.

But we're not here to blog about James Bond's Q, today.

We've got something more exciting to announce. This just came across the wires:

AMHERST, NY--(Marketwire - February 27, 2009) - IP.com announces a major release of their flagship intellectual property management software, InnovationQ. The new InnovationQ 3.2 features a new graphical user interface plus two new modules. In addition, several new features are incorporated into this release.

More complex IP management tasks require an interface that provides for quick and easy navigation while allowing power users shortcuts to key features. At the same time, organizations need to visually integrate applications such as InnovationQ into their overall environment. InnovationQ 3.2 accomplishes this with a brand new user interface and configuration features that allow customers to substantially customize visual elements of the application to appear like their other Intranet applications.

"InnovationQ 3.2 continues IP.com's commitment to comprehensive, flexible intellectual property management software," says Tom Petrocelli, SVP of Enterprise Software. "We are always adding new features that our customers need while focusing on those areas of IP management that are often underserved."

InnovationQ 3.2 also introduces two new modules -- the Patent Analysis System for Acquisitions and Divestiture and the Standards Management and Collaboration module.

When making decisions about whether to acquire or sell patents and other intellectual property, a number of stakeholders need to be consulted. Even more so, critical information must be gathered from these stakeholders in order to make considered decisions. The Patent Analysis System for Acquisitions and Divestitures facilitates this communication through the use of collaborative tools that allow stakeholders to discuss opportunities and provide critical information, facilitating decision making.

The Standards Management and Collaboration module assists companies who contribute intellectual property to standards bodies. It helps to track who in the company has contributed IP to a standard body through documents and meetings. InnovationQ 3.2 then identifies changes based on a number of factors that might effect those contributions.

About IP.com, Inc.

IP.com offers solutions to help companies effectively manage their intellectual property. Many of the world's most innovative companies use IP.com's services and software to support their IP strategies. With products ranging from prior art publishing and searching to management of intellectual property assets and processes, IP.com offers scaleable products to fit the needs of any organization.

I know, you want us to blog more about James Bond.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

The University of Oklahoma's Intellectual Property Management Office is in the business of developing relationships with researchers and providing to them the benefits of commercialization of their projects. The IPMO focuses on getting value from the technology that is developed at OU which, in turn, increases the university’s research, and creates new companies or finds companies that can benefit from that technology, all of which contributes directly to the intellectual, economic, social and cultural vitality of the state and the nation.

Yesterday, IP.com and the University of Oklahoma announced the launch of the InnovationQ Technology Transfer Workflow application for the University of Oklahoma's Intellectual Property Management Office. The system was designed to improve decision-making, secure IP records, and enhance the marketing of university intellectual property to prospective licensees.

"The chief goal was to improve the ability of the University of Oklahoma to identify, secure, and market the incredible research that occurs on their campuses," says Tom Petrocelli, IP.com's SVP for Enterprise Software. "Not only will the University of Oklahoma's IPMO be able to make better decisions about their ground-breaking research, they will be able to more effectively discover and attract licensees for those ideas."

InnovationQ helps companies to legally safeguard their intellectual property, derive more value from ideas, and speed the monetization of innovation. With streamlined processes, collaboration tools, and a secure system for managing innovation, InnovationQ effectively protects and enhances intellectual property from its conception.

"IP.com is designed to capture innovation at a very early stage and automate common but tedious IP related processes," says Colin FitzSimons, Associate VP for Technology Development and the Executive Director of the Intellectual Property Management Office at the University of Oklahoma.

InnovationQ offers the flexibility to integrate with existing software systems and corporate LDAP directories. This simplifies the process of assigning user and group roles within the system and accessing existing records, ultimately increasing compliance. Researchers and faculty are more likely to submit inventions -- as they can continually track the progress and status of each disclosure. It creates transparency between researchers and the IPMO.

"InnovationQ provides us with a suite of IP marketing tools," says Cameron McCoy, Director of Technology Marketing for the Intellectual Property Management Office at the University of Oklahoma. "We are collaborating with IP.com to create a unique innovation dashboard for technology managers to view reports, assess activities, and take action on their technologies and non-confidential summaries. It provides a platform for us to showcase our licensable content through a custom technology marketing portal -- providing OU with new commercialization opportunities."

InnovationQ delivers web-based, onsite intellectual property management solutions including invention disclosure review, patent analysis to assess acquisitions and divestitures, publication clearance, and R&D collaboration. IP.com configures these user modules to customer specifications yielding an application that is unique to customers.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

InnovationQ is an enterprise software platform developed by IP.com Inc. for clients that automates and streamlines common intellectual property management functions. If your organization has a substantial investment in intellectual property, InnovationQ can help you safeguard its intellectual property assets and make better decisions about those assets. More important, InnovationQ allows you to derive maximum value from your intellectual property portfolio. It helps you automate and enhance most of the major tasks associated with intellectual property management including protecting trade secrets.

In a series of posts here on our corporate blog, Securing Innovation, we've recently looked at how InnovationQ helps our clients manage important facets of their intellectual property assets in these four areas:

1. Invention Review Process
2. Trade Secret Management
3. Publication Clearance System
4. R&D Collaboration

And those articles are now available on this blog in Chinese, here, here, here, and here.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks