Monthly Archive for February, 2009

New UK-China Intellectual Property Deals to Help Business Exploit New Ideas

February 23, 2009

The UK and China have signed two innovative Intellectual Property agreements. These agreements aim to stimulate and make it easier for UK and Chinese business to develop products and services from new ideas and innovation.

Nowadays, companies in China file four times more patents than five years ago, and by 2012 this country is predicted to become the largest patenting nation in the world.

Unfortunately the global patent system is encountering a growing crisis with huge amount of unprocessed applications and delays. In some countries it can take over 10 years to get a patent. This backlog is mainly due to duplicate processing of similar patent applications in different states.

The Patents agreement will:

  • Reduce duplication and delays in the processing of patent applications by allowing UK and Chinese examiners to make better use of each others work.
  • Promote and encourage among Chinese and UK businesses the use and understanding of their respective Intellectual Property systems.

On the other hand, the trade marks agreement, first of its kind between China and the UK, promotes cooperation between both UK and China Intellectual Property Office, including the exchange of best practice and training.

APEC-IPEG Seminar on Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer

February 23, 2009

The APEC Intellectual Property Experts Group (IPEG) capacity building seminar on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and technology transfer will be held by Singapore from the 23rd until 24th of February 2009. It will be taking place just before the 28th meeting of the APEC IPEG.

The seminar is titled From Mind to Market: The Highs and Lows of Technology Transfer, and it has been organized IPOS (Intellectual Property Office of Singapore) in collaboration with the USPTO (US Patent and Trade Mark Office), with the support from the World Intellectual Property Organization, IP Australia and the Department of Intellectual Property, Ministry of Commerce, Thailand.

The seminar provides an opportunity for APEC IP policy makers to take part in a potent dialogue on tactics and national experiences on how IP has the power to stimulate and catalyze technology transfer.

The seminar will put emphasis on the importance of permanent innovation and development of IP management practices as key strategies to meet the challenges of the declining economy.

WIPO Meeting to Explore IP as Financing Tool

February 23, 2009

The capacity to use IP assets as collateral is of growing importance for companies in the current economic environment, especially in the case of small and medium sized enterprises which depend on know how and IP assets to sustain company value.

For that reason WIPO has organized an information meeting at its Geneva headquarters on March 10, 2009.

Global commerce in IP assets has extended in recent years throughout a variety of industries. Intangible assets are estimated to account for the bulk of corporate value today.

Still, the financial potential of IP assets has yet to be fully realized, mainly because systems of financial accounting remain primarily tailored to tangible assets. Releasing the full potential of IP financing offers an opportunity to boost business growth, innovation and creativity.

The information meeting aims to create consciousness among the intellectual property community, including creators and right holders, as well as the wider financial services community, of the opportunities and challenges of IP financing. It will examine current practices in different countries and different industries.

The meeting will highlight the ways in which improvements in law and financing practices may assist right holders in maximizing the value of their IP assets.