| Posted: May 2, 2007 |
IPR in nanotechnology: Lessons from experiences worldwide |
|
(Nanowerk News) The international workshop on IPR in Nanotechnology, that was organised jointly by the European Patent Office (EPO) and DG Research of the European Commission, took place on April 16, 2007 in Brussels, Belgium. The workshop was connected to the Third International Nanotechnology Conference on Communication and Cooperation INC3.
|
|
The final program with links to some of the presentations is now available at the Cordis Nanotechnology website. Topics of some of the downloadable presentations:
|
|
Using Patents as an Information Source for Nanotech Policy & Business
|
|
IP in nanotechnology - Philips' perspective
|
|
Nanotechnology, Patents and the US Patent Office
|
|
Patents & Industry-Science relations - case study: IMEC - nanopatents
|
|
The aim of the nanotechnology IPR workshop was to identify specific IPR issues for nanotechnology and to discuss possible consequences for patent offices, policy makers, patent consultants and the research community. Many aspects have been identified in ongoing academic and political discussions, such as the costs of patenting and the accessibility of patents for SMEs or Developing Countries, the need of a transparent and clearly defined scope of patent protection, the mplications of "nanopatent land grab" and "patent thickets" (R. Bawa), "nanotech patent battles" (Lux Research), "second nature" and "monopoly patent" (ETC Group) etc.
|
|
The discussions were aiming at possible actions specific for nanotechnology, i.e. the need for a better patent monitoring system (incl. classification) of nanotechnology for patent application and examining, technology analysis and policy advice purposes, the possible need for harmonisation between the EU, the USA and Japan, the need for a new 'nanotechnology patent regime', the development of guidelines for the protection of IPR and models for consortium and licensing agreements, lessons for collaborative research projects and other research collaborations etc. (non-exhaustive list).
|
