Johnson Kong

is the Executive Vice President / Head of Asia Pacific, for IP.com Inc. Johnson Kong has many years of hands-on experience in business. As the Executive Vice President and Head of Asia Pacific of IP.com, he assisted clients in creating and implementing robust innovation management and intellectual property strategies to support business goals. And, as much as deep business experience enables an IP consultant to fully appreciate the needs of a business client, to fully appreciate the needs of an inventor, an IP consultant must oneself be an inventor. Mr. Kong is an inventor. He has invented software and business methods associated with the efficient analysis and management of intellectual property. He is currently the named inventor in a couple of United States patent applications. He has been a primary speaker at events sponsored by China PTO (SIPO), Taiwan PTO (TIPO), Industrial Technology Information Industries (ITRI), Singapore PTO (IPOS) and others.”


Articles By This Author

PATINEX 2009: Patent Information Expo

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.

Intellectual Property Strategy in China

As IP.com Inc.'s Executive Vice President and head of Asia Pacific operations for the company, I've been in China for several years, discussing with leading companies and governmental agencies how this emerging superpower of technological innovation--not just manufacturing powerhouse--will adapt the best practices of other global economic leaders to develop and manage intellectual property in China.

As the whole world is witnessing China’s booming economy in recent years, Chinese corporations are becoming aware how critical indigenous innovation is for domestic businesses to survive the international competition in the wake of economic globalization. Eager to improve the present intellectual property service system, which is less efficient and not well supervised as compared with those of industrialized countries, governments at all levels in China are struggling to strengthen the construction of developed, powerful service channels to further boost a sustainable development, especially during the current global recession, by cooperating with relevant oversea companies and institutions as well as on their own.

As part of the effort to achieve this goal, the 5th International Conference on Corporate Intellectual Property Strategy, co-hosted by the Intellectual Property Development Research Center of the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO), the National Science & Technology Infrastructure Center of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Science & Technology Office and the IP Office of Henan Province will be held on the end of October, 2009 in Zhengzhou, Henan Province of China. A variety of professionals, managers and experts related to intellectual property and technology innovation, from IP service organizations, enterprises and research institutions home and abroad, will be invited. Topics include the construction of both Chinese and foreign IP service platforms,

IP.com is honored to be among the international companies invited to the 5th International Conference on Corporate Intellectual Property Strategy to share ideas, strategies, and technologies for the effective management of intellectual property by global corporations and governments. For many years, IP.com has worked closely with its clients, like IBM, as well as with governmental agencies, including the USPTO, to facilitate access to technical disclosure documents and the worldwide prior art database.

The conference includes the following panels:

Panel One: Innovation and IP Service System Construction

  • The support of IP services to industry upgrading and economic development

  • Introduction to the construction of IP service system in China

  • Introduction to the construction of innovation service system in China Science Park

  • Introduction to the status of European IP service system

  • Introduction to the patent information service system in Europe

  • Introduction to the technology transfer platform in the U.S

  • One-stop IP service platform for small & medium enterprises

  • Dialog: Constructing the innovation and IP service system with Chinese characteristics

Panel Two: IP Service in Innovation Cycle

Part 1) IP Services in Major National Science and Technology Projects (MNSTP) and economic activities

  • Ideas on the overall IP management in MNSTP

  • The practice of IP management in MNSTP assessment & implementation

  • The support of IP services to the innovation, technology import and transfer of the major projects.

  • Dialog: The support of IP services to national technology innovation and industry upgrading

Part 2 ) IP services in enterprises' innovation cycle

IP management in enterprises’ innovation cycle and its support services

Innovation

  • Market and IP oriented innovation project setting and its support services

  • Solutions and information services to enterprises’ innovation projects

  • Effective utilization of patent information

IP Management

  • Setting effective patent application strategy, maximizing the IP value

  • Enterprises’ IP strategy and IP management system construction

  • Intelligent innovation management system construction

IP Protection

  • Techniques of IP protection and infringement prevention

  • How to deal with patent infringement litigation

IP Commercialization

  • Introduction to the IP commercialization service system in China

  • IP evaluation, insurance, financing and commercializing services in the US

  • Patent portfolio management and licensing services

  • Dialog: Discussion on the key questions relevant to enterprises’ innovation cycle and the effective IP service modes.

If you're going to be at the 5th International Conference on Corporate Intellectual Property Strategy, or would like to set up a meeting with me at another convenient location in China, please don't hesitate to contact me by email at jkong@ip.com and we'll be happy to spend some time with you and your colleagues discussing how we might work together to develop the best intellectual property management systems and methods for your organization in China.

技 术 公 布 审 查 动 态 工 具

简介

 

创新机构常常在一些会议上以意见书、会议论文、公布和白皮书等形式发表它们的创新概念。这些发表能够提高它们的声望、支持销售和市场化进程,甚至能够产生更大的影响。虽然有很多有力的理由支持公司公布新的发明创新,公布有一个很严重的缺点——公布使该发明在全世界的范围内不能够再申请专利或者取得商业秘密保护的权利!为什么?因为发明创新一旦公布于众,它就公布于公共领域,就是说,您的发明和商业秘密应得的权利将减少或者消失。

 

什么是技术公布审查系统?

 

技术公布审查系统保证所有的文件在对外公开

发表之前,由合适的技术人员和法律专业人员审查。

这可以通过预先设定工作流程管理来实现。工作流

程自动地通知决策人在某个时间/步骤审查文件,保

证合适的人能够对文件及时地作出决策。

 

 

不应用公布审查系统的风险

 

丧失知识产权例如专利和商业秘密

失去潜在的授权收入

削弱竞争优势

难以定位产品

降低股东价值

发 明 审 查 程 序 动 态 工 具

简介

知识产权是资产之一。在全球化进程中,很多传统的企业资产已被量化,知识产权资产的价值也已被肯定。毫无疑问,企业缺少具有竞争力的知识产权资产将会失去它们的竞争优势。

 

为什么发明审查程序是有价值的?

创新概念能够成为有价值的企业资产。但是它们的最大价值常常不能够实现。一些有价值的创新概念被遗忘在某个硬盘或某个抽屉之中,或者被不合适的人员审批,或者是在错误的时间被审批。在这些过程中,时间在流逝。这些被遗忘的发明已经被竞争对手的新发明所超越。一个透彻的、便于采用的发明审查程序能够改变一项有价值的发明创新的命运。

 

恰当地应用发明审查程序,一项新发明能够成为知识产权资产新的组成部分:

发明和发明申请

商标和版权

可应用的商业秘密

防御性公布

可授权资产

同行评议论文

 

 

有效的发明审查程序产生的商业成果

从商业伙伴、客户和竞争对手取得的授权收入

更高的产品/服务利润

强大的知识产权资产

阻止竞争对手取得专利

强有力的可执行的商业秘密

市场占有率

有利的诉讼判决和调解

股东价值的增长

创 新 管 理 动 态 工 具

管理知识产权:最大化您的知识产权资产

 

知识产权是资产的一种,它具有财务和运营价值。所以,它需要得到如同其他重要资产一样的保护。这些保护包括防止盗窃、丢失、忽视和不合理使用。更加重要的是,知识产权资产最大化是由机构中的个体完成的。虽然可能每个机构都有不同的标准评估知识产权价值,但是贯彻统一的标准以保证知识产权资产管理的一致性是很重要的。

 

创新管理Q 3.0 简介

   

很多机构在知识产权管理上陷入困境。一般来说,造成这个困境的原因是:基于人力的管理容易出错,缺乏沟通协作,没有集中资源,未能掌握评判标准和辨别趋势等;或者是由于所采用的管理系统要求员工改变行为习惯而造成。

 

   创新管理Q自动处理和简化知识产权管理常用程序和功能。这使贯彻管理措施和程序更为简便(更多员工执行和贯彻知识产权管理措施)和更加安全。创新管理Q的设计完善了创新管理的重要环节,例如:

 

发明审查程序

程序化的发明审查程序对于任何创新机构的成功都是关键的。一个标准化的程序能够帮组减少人为错误,鼓励参与人形成和做出更好的决策,最终提高知识产权资产的价值。

 

商业秘密管理

不是所有的商业秘密都是真正的“可防御性的”商业秘密。商业秘密管理系统可以防止竞争对手使用它的商业秘密,在商业秘密被盗窃的时候获得赔偿,防止前雇员对竞争对手泄露机密,同时防止非法公开商业秘密。

 

技术公布审查

公布未经审查的创新概念,常常导致知识产权流失。技术公布审查系统保证在公布前,相关的法律人员能够在作出是否发表的意见之前,查阅到所有的相关文件。

 

研发合作

研发合作系统比古老的基于纸质的实验室笔记具有更多的优点。文件能够立即被不同部门不同地点的研发人员共享,同时文件被标记日期、存档和分类以便于检索。此外,系统允许技术管理人员进行自动发明扫描/过滤和监管。

 

创 新 管 理 动 态 工 具

简介

 

虽然所有的公司都认为专利是知识产权资产的基石,事实上,取得专利和保护专利都是非常昂贵的。更糟糕的是,90%的专利不能够为专利所有人产生收益。美国最高法院最近放宽了“显而易见性”的定义,这使专利的前景更加的

不明确;因为这将使专利更加难以执行。针对此,创新型企业

把商业秘密作为它们知识产权资产中更加经济、更加战略性的

组成部分。

 

已确立的商业秘密使公司能够:

 

阻止竞争对手使用该技术

恢复被挪用的损失

阻止前雇员把发明创新泄露给竞争对手

阻止非法公布商业秘密

 

未能保护您的商业秘密将导致:

 

竞争对手可以自由使用您的技术

离职员工能够与其它公司分享您的创新

失去竞争优势

失去市场主导地位

 

创新管理Q为有效的商业秘密管理提供重要的工具:

 

1 .防止无关人员访问文件

保护登录和访问权限

清楚地定义角色和许可

2. 可疑活动提醒:

下载和浏览大量文件等

异常的访问,例如下班时间发生的大量下载等

报告总结所有使用者和文件的动态

3. 在庭审中提供不可辩驳的证据

所有文件都被法律保护

证据证明文件没有被更改

证据证明访问系统的都是经授权的使用者

研 发 合 作 动 态 工 具

简介

当我们快速地从纸质记录发展到电子文本记录的时候,研发合作系统就成为科学家和工程师强有力的合作工具。文件不仅能够立即在各个部门和工作地点分享,还可以被加盖日期印记,存档分类以便于检索。研发主管和法律部门工作人员同时能够策略性地监管机构内的创新活动,这是之前未能够实现的。在研发合作系统的帮助下,管理人员和内部法律顾问能够及时作出决策,并前摄创新决策。

 

 

研发环境下的合作

一个有效的研发合作系统具有以下功能:

存储研发文件,限制访问权限

安全保存文件,保证敏感文件不被泄露

他人能够通过感兴趣的概念检索到文件

和机构内外的其他人分享检索成果

报告所有的文件和使用者活动和趋势

 

 

 

自始至终,文件必须被评估以用于将来的专利申请或者作为商业秘密保护。同时,对重要文件设置访问限制也是很重要的,这样可以保证文件的安全和完整性。

 

创新管理Q 的功能

 

IP.com创新管理Q为研发人员和专利律师提供了一个平台以保存、保护、检索和分享关键的研发文件。发明人能够立即查看到其他同事的最新研发信息,同时这些信息会一直作为机密受到保护;发明人会受益于这个功能。这将减少不同部门之间,如研发部门和法律部门之间因为沟通脱节而导致的重复投入。创新管理Q的访问权限设置允许管理人员对不同使用者分别设置访问权限,为同行评议提供最好的工具,同时保证信息不会向外泄露。

 

Dispatches from the Salt Mines

The name Salzburg literally means "Salt Castle", and derives its name from the barges carrying salt on the Salzach river, which were subject to a toll in the 8th century, as was customary for many communities and cities on European rivers.

I've been sent here, near the salt mines of Austria, to represent IP.com Inc., as Executive Vice President and Head of Asia Pacific, at the Salzburg Global Seminar, which I'm privileged to co-chair this year.

New Models of Intellectual Property: Predictability and Openness as Spurs to Innovation, Session 460 of the Salzburg Global Seminar, begins today and continues through December 11th.

The session will convene senior legal and corporate experts, high-level government officials and leading academics and commentators from around the world to explore ideas on how countries can benefit from new paradigms of innovation and develop solutions to persistent global disputes relating to IP. The underlying question will be how to ensure that IPR are used to promote the widest possible benefits from innovation, and not restrict them.

It's a tough assignment, but somebody's got to do it. Johnson Kong, reporting from Salzburg, Austria.

IP5 Announces International Work-sharing

As we head off to Asia next week, commencing our trip in Korea for PATINEX 2008, we're mindful of the recent meeting of the IP5.

The heads of five intellectual property offices (IP5) met to address the common challenges they are currently facing. The meeting was held at Jeju, Korea, on October 27 and 28, 2008, and chaired by Dr. Jung-Sik Koh, Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO).

The other heads of the IP5 offices were Ms Alison Brimelow, President of the European Patent Office (EPO); Mr Takashi Suzuki, Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office (JPO); Mr Tian Lipu, Commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China (SIPO), and Mr Jon Dudas, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

They announced the adoption of the vision statement of work-sharing initiative among the five offices: "The elimination of unnecessary duplication of work among the offices, enhancement of patent examination efficiency and quality, and guarantee of the stability of patent right ". The offices also elaborated a cooperative framework in the form of ten Foundation Projects. These projects were devised to harmonize the search and examination environment of each office and to standardize the information-sharing process. The projects are expected to facilitate the work-sharing initiative by enhancing the quality of patent searches and examinations and building mutual trust in each other's work.

As the world sees economic barriers between nations fade away, innovators want their intellectual creations protected concurrently in major markets. Hence, applications for the same technology are filed at more than one patent office.

The heads of the five offices recognize the trend toward greater globalization and seek to minimize the resultant redundancy of patent searches and examinations. They also share a concern for the growing number of pending patent applications and the prolonged pendency period; and they acknowledge that delays in granting patents hinder the promotion of innovation, which is an intrinsic function of the patent system. To tackle this global phenomenon in an efficient manner, the IP5 offices have agreed to collaborate in moving forward with a work-sharing initiative.

Each office will oversee the implementation of two Foundation Projects. For the first step, the offices agreed that by, at the latest, the end of April 2009 they would exchange detailed proposals on each Foundation Project and strive to identify the areas of agreement as well as specific details of implementation.

The benefits of work-sharing are expected to be tangible and substantial. The number of applications filed at two or more of the IP5 offices currently stands at up to 250,000 per year. Reutilisation of the work of another office for these duplicate applications can lead to significant improvements in patent examination efficiency for all the IP5 offices.

The work-sharing among the five offices will increase the efficiency of the patent system and minimize the cost and effort of patent applicants with regard to the acquisition and management of patent rights. Consistency in the patent process will ensure the predictability of patent results when applicants lodge applications at multiple offices. Greater simplicity will increase the convenience and savings of applicants.

At the close of the meeting, the offices pledged to continue working together toward the realization of the shared vision and agreed to convene the next Heads of the five offices meeting at a time convenient to each office in 2009.

The lead offices and their assigned Foundation Projects are as follows:

  1. Common Documentation Database (lead: EPO) - Aim: To bring together a common set of relevant patent and nonpatent literature from around the world to assist patent examiners in their prior art searches
  2. Common Approach for a Hybrid Classification (lead: EPO) - Aim: To enable joint and efficient updating of patent classification and facilitate the reuse of work among the patent offices
  3. Common Application Format (lead: JPO) - Aim: To facilitate the filing procedure of each office by using a Common Application Format; and by using electronic or digitized patent application filing (in XML format) and subsequent processing and publication in XML format
  4. Common Access to Search and Examination Results (lead: JPO) - Aim: To enable examiners to find one-stop references in the dossier information of other offices, such as search and examination results and to conduct the priority document exchange (PDX) to reduce the cost of ordering copies of priority documents for applicants and the administrative costs of electronic processing for offices
  5. Common Training Policy (lead: KIPO) - Aim: To standardize the training of patent examiners at each office, helping examiners to produce equivalent results of search and examination at the five offices
  6. Mutual Machine Translation (lead: KIPO) - Aim: To help the offices overcome the language barrier of patent information and allow greater access to each other’s patent information
  7. Common Rules for Examination Practice and Quality Control (lead: SIPO) - Aim: To execute patent examinations at a similar standard and quality through common rules of examination practice and quality control
  8. Common Statistical Parameter System for Examination (lead: SIPO) - Aim: To establish a system of common statistical parameters for all examinations at the five offices; and to conduct statistical tasks and exchange information on examination practices under common rules and parameters, building on the work of the Trilateral statistical working group
  9. Common Approach to Sharing and Documenting Search Strategies (lead: USPTO) - Aim: To promote reutilization by enabling the patent examiners of each office to understand each other’s search strategy
  10. Common Search and Examination Support Tools (lead: USPTO) - Aim: To establish a system of common search and examination tools to facilitate work-sharing

Older Entries