The Handbook of European Intellectual Property Management: Developing, Managing and Protecting Your Company's Intellectual Property

Contents......Page 10
Foreword......Page 26
1 IP potential......Page 28
1.1 Europe’s IP architecture......Page 30
The European Union – but not only the European Union......Page 31
The new EU-wide integrated IPRs: big success and much use......Page 32
Partly integrated rights: harmonized rights can sometimes be of real help to companies......Page 33
The EPO: a convenient European alternative route for getting patents......Page 35
And what of the future?......Page 36
Your IP strategy as part of your overall business strategy......Page 40
Manage your portfolio efficiently......Page 43
Be prepared to enforce – intelligently......Page 44
Conclusion......Page 45
1.3 Open innovation......Page 46
Open innovation principles......Page 48
Open innovation: IP strategy planning for SMEs......Page 49
Conclusion......Page 50
Procter & Gamble – designed to innovate......Page 53
The market of ideas......Page 56
The biopharmaceutical industry......Page 58
Summary......Page 59
Global expansion – with IP at the forefront......Page 61
Challenges to the effective management and use of IP......Page 62
Four basic recommendations......Page 63
1.6 Creating value......Page 66
From defensive IP strategy to competitive TC strategy......Page 68
Facing the world – licensing and enforcement......Page 69
A system under multiple pressures......Page 72
The new stakeholders......Page 73
Time for conciliation......Page 74
A year of creativity and innovations......Page 81
2 IP fit for purpose......Page 90
Imitation – flattering but is it good business?......Page 92
Which rights?......Page 93
Don’t switch off......Page 95
Defining the objective......Page 98
Proper preparation......Page 99
Avoiding duplication of effort......Page 100
Conclusion......Page 101
Basic features of trade secrets and patents or other registered IP rights......Page 104
Product or method – further criteria for striking abalance......Page 107
Case study......Page 108
Conclusion......Page 109
The emerging company......Page 112
The established company......Page 113
The costs of securing the patent......Page 114
The fencing policy......Page 115
Cost-efficient patent strategy......Page 117
The European PACE programme......Page 119
Bypassing the EPO......Page 120
Pros and cons......Page 121
A RENEWED INTEREST IN BELGIAN PATENTS?......Page 122
2.6 IP for SME inventors......Page 125
Amendments in Europe and the United States......Page 130
3 Idea search......Page 142
Patent searching: Why? What’s in it for me?......Page 144
Patent searching: How, when, and where can I do it?......Page 145
Patent searching: What can I do with the information?......Page 146
Caution......Page 147
Summary......Page 148
ITALIAN SEARCHES......Page 149
3.2 Brand and design searches......Page 151
3.3 Working with universities......Page 156
Processes to enable exploitation of the UK knowledge base in higher education institutions (universities)......Page 158
How can the potential for enterprises to source ideas and knowledge best be realized?......Page 159
3.4 Change of technological patterns in the European Union......Page 162
Recognizing and assessing a patent strategy......Page 170
Technical prerequisites......Page 172
Corporate requirements......Page 173
Combine to stay ahead......Page 176
Patent searches in the East Asian region......Page 179
4 Revenue models......Page 188
The commercial strategy......Page 190
IP strategy – the low level......Page 191
Conclusion......Page 192
The standard scenario – and why it might be the first to die......Page 194
Evolution of IP management......Page 195
Conclusion......Page 199
Foundations......Page 202
Anatomy of a licence agreement......Page 204
Conclusion......Page 206
Independent vs complementary inventions......Page 208
The need for cooperation......Page 209
Patent pool requirements under antitrust law......Page 210
Conclusion......Page 211
4.5 Outsourcing and the extended enterprise......Page 214
Example 1: Creation and management of new IT infrastructure......Page 216
Example 2: Complex supply chain......Page 217
Conclusion......Page 218
5 Ownership of the rights......Page 224
5.1 Freedom to operate......Page 226
The FTO search and analysis......Page 227
What to do if there are blocking third-party rights......Page 229
A few examples......Page 230
Some practicalities of FTO analysis......Page 231
Why collaborate?......Page 234
How will the collaborative venture be managed?......Page 235
How is intellectual property resulting from the collaboration to be owned and what will be done with it?......Page 236
The golden nugget......Page 237
Conclusion......Page 238
5.3 The competitive landscape......Page 240
Networking and patents......Page 241
Understanding the patent landscape......Page 242
Creating the right balance in patents......Page 243
Summary......Page 244
Indirect patent infringement......Page 245
6 Contract negotiations......Page 250
Contract law......Page 252
Trade mark rights......Page 253
Commercial environment......Page 254
Conclusion......Page 255
The experience in the past......Page 258
Model agreements: What’s the use?......Page 259
The results of the committee’s work......Page 260
Will the model agreements ease the process?......Page 261
6.3 How to pitch safely......Page 262
ACID pitch guidelines......Page 263
What can I do if my rights have been infringed following a pitch?......Page 264
6.4 Trusting and checking: royalty audits......Page 267
The business case for royalty audits......Page 268
What you can do at the beginning to get this right......Page 269
7 Technology rights......Page 272
Computer-implemented inventions......Page 274
Practical advice......Page 275
The future......Page 277
Conclusion......Page 279
What challenges can be made?......Page 281
Once you have built a case, what next?......Page 282
How long it takes and how much it costs......Page 283
What happens after filing the appeal?......Page 284
Tips for opposition/appeal strategy......Page 285
The European patent system......Page 288
Claim interpretation under the EPC......Page 289
Claim interpretation under the national laws governing the national parts of a European patent......Page 290
Summary......Page 291
7.4 Where applications gowrong......Page 293
Parameters in claims......Page 295
7.5 When to use utility models......Page 298
7.6 Technology standards and IP......Page 304
History......Page 306
Third parties excluded?......Page 307
7.7 Why file in the United States first......Page 309
Exceptions......Page 314
Conclusions......Page 315
8 Technology commercialization......Page 330
Sourcing ideas......Page 332
Selection/filtering......Page 333
Proof of concept development......Page 334
Customer-specific application development......Page 335
Summary and future trends......Page 336
8.2 Technology trading......Page 338
Platforms, subsystems and products: different angles on IP ownership......Page 340
Patenting timelines and the layered approach......Page 341
Conclusion......Page 342
8.3 Profiting from science......Page 344
Intellectual asset management......Page 347
Invention/innovation life cycle......Page 349
Managing patent costs......Page 351
Conclusions......Page 352
Patents as a source of business intelligence......Page 354
Challenges in understanding your patent landscape......Page 355
Case studies illustrating how understanding your patent landscape can improve revenue generation......Page 357
8.5 Keep patents creative......Page 362
Professionalization of the IP-generating process......Page 364
Introducing the Creative Forum......Page 365
Definition of goals......Page 366
The 93 : 7 Model......Page 367
Implementation of a patent management system within an industrial environment......Page 370
9 New frontiers in IP......Page 374
European patent law......Page 376
The exclusions from patentability......Page 377
Inventive step......Page 378
Conclusion......Page 380
The challenge: managing the IP in software sourcecodes......Page 382
The issue: inherent conflict of interest between developer and licensee......Page 384
Software escrow......Page 385
Advantages of software escrow......Page 386
The patent practice is lagging behind the technology......Page 388
Experimental use exemption......Page 390
Conclusion......Page 391
Support for innovation......Page 392
Life-cycle greenhouse gas assessment......Page 393
Starting the journey......Page 395
Patenting computer-implemented inventions in Europe......Page 398
10 Brand rights......Page 410
Trade mark rights......Page 412
Model/design rights......Page 414
Conclusion......Page 415
Building a strong trade mark......Page 416
How to respond if your trade mark is challenged......Page 419
Look before you leap......Page 421
10.3 Action against copying......Page 424
Plan carefully......Page 425
Enforce your rights......Page 426
Conclusion......Page 427
Trade mark use by resellers of branded goods......Page 428
Use of proper name and address......Page 429
Repacking......Page 431
Use as a meta-tag, keyword or ad word......Page 432
Conclusions......Page 433
11 The knowledge business......Page 436
11.1 Organization of intellectual asset management......Page 438
Intellectual asset management integrated in the business process......Page 441
11.2 Organizing an innovative company......Page 446
Optimizing the organization of the company: no systematic answer......Page 447
Integration of internal innovation into the organization of the company......Page 448
Conclusion......Page 449
IPR is much more than law......Page 452
Difficulties finding the right one......Page 453
The growing importance of IPR......Page 454
11.4 IP management systems......Page 456
A modern approach to IP management......Page 457
Digital collaboration areas......Page 459
Ten steps towards value-adding IP management......Page 460
What is a procedure?......Page 462
Procedures and their potential......Page 464
Does IT help your procedures?......Page 465
The real benefit: workflow management and your improved and optimized procedures......Page 466
Challenges......Page 467
12 IP as an asset......Page 476
12.1 Risks to intangible assets......Page 478
12.2 What investors expect to see......Page 482
New funding sources......Page 486
A favourable new context......Page 487
A range of techniques......Page 489
Conclusion......Page 490
12.4 Valuation of patents......Page 492
Patents for credit andventure capital......Page 497
13 Guard your rights......Page 504
The challenges of enforcing intellectual property rights......Page 506
What is alternative dispute resolution (ADR)?......Page 507
What are the benefits of ADR for solving IP disputes?......Page 509
How does the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center assist IP holders to solve their disputes?......Page 511
13.2 Avoiding litigation......Page 513
Costs and time of litigation......Page 514
ADR is an alternative......Page 515
Alternative dispute resolution......Page 516
The actors, organizations and other professionals such as patent attorneys......Page 517
Post-grant harmonization......Page 520
Where to litigate a European patent......Page 522
Conclusion......Page 524
IP LITIGATION IN EUROPE AND ITALY......Page 526
13.4 Preliminary injunctions......Page 528
The extent and economic impact of counterfeiting......Page 533
Challenges for the IP owners/managers......Page 534
The current EU context of enforcement......Page 535
Conclusion......Page 536
13.6 IP risk transfer......Page 538
Appendix 1 History, organization and procedures of the European Patent Office......Page 546
Appendix 2 The Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market......Page 552
Index......Page 560
Index of advertisers......Page 574