WIPO Patent Meeting in Geneva

On September 19, 2013, The World Intellectual Property Organization will host an event entitled: Access to Intellectual Property for Innovation: Evidence on Problems and Coping Strategies from German Firms.  There are several related documents on WIPO's website ready for review, including a paper by Professor Mueller from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management.  Please click on the link below for a copy of her paper, and check in on the WIPO website for updates.

http://www.wipo.int/edocs/mdocs/mdocs/en/wipo_ip_econ_ge_4_13/wipo_ip_econ_ge_4_13_www_243943.pdf

Preparing Patent Policy for the Internet of Things

You may have seen Cisco's commercial for "The Internet of Everything" and wondered just exactly what they are referencing.  The rapid innovation of machine to machine technologies has opened doors to new markets and business models, paving the way for efficiencies and improvements in our daily lives.  As the market adjusts accordingly to house the new inventions that will fall under the umbrella of what many call "The Internet of Things"(IOT) technologists and policymakers will also need to consider how we handle standards, and how the patent system accommodates these new inventions.  In Europe, some are advocating for "standards essential patents" to help protect innovators paths to the market and to also encourage increased R&D investment.  The 2013 Consumer Electronic Show (CES) shone a bright spotlight on IOT technologies, but the products that are hitting the market today are only the beginning.  As policymakers consider how to reduce the rate of patent infringement and large license agreements, they may lean toward the creation of new standards, in order to define certain technologies as "standards essential."  As such, these technologies would arguably become available to the general public on the same fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms (FRAND).  This pooling together of technologies would in turn, arguably, foster enhanced interoperability among a broad base of manufacturers, and increase consumer take-up of new technologies.  As IOT technologies are rolled out, it will be interesting to keep a close eye on the activity in the patent field.

Best Practices in IP Conference Spotlights Monetization of Patents

On May 29, 2013, The Best Practices in IP 2013: International Perspectives on Creating and Extracting Value Conference in Tel Aviv featured a special Keynote focused on monetization.  The first panel kicked off with the question "Why monetize patents?"  According to the panel, since 2000 the trend towards monetization has grown, particularly exemplified in the field of telecommunications and technology.  Jonathan Taub of the Acacia Research Group engaged the audience with an insightful discussion about how to monetize patents; whether to license them, or to sell them.  Companies are increasingly following alternative paths towards monetization, and this recent panel added interesting food for thought in the ongoing debate over patent trolls.