Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Article One Partners (AOP), the world leader in crowdsourced intellectual property research, is now into their 10th year. Intellectual Property Watch recently arranged an interview with Article One Partners CEO Peter Vanderheyden to get an update on how the company has evolved in response to the ever-changing IP landscape, and in light of their commitment to IP quality.
Linkilaw writes: Statistics show 69% of SME owners have heard about the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and 70% admitted to being unaware it will come into effect from 25th May 2018. It is important for small business owners to understand what the GDPR is as well as its application. The GDPR is the outcome of four years of constant discussions, investigations, and amendments made by the EU to update its data privacy rules and regulations.The GDPR will replace the Data Protection Directive established in 1995, creating a greater territorial scope and stricter penalties for those states members, and business dealing with Personal Data, who fail to keep and handle data according to the new regulation. The GDPR was finally approved by the EU Parliament on 14 April 2016 but will apply from 25 May 2018, giving a two-year transition period for all EU members states. This is a call for all SME’s: you need to prepare now!
The practice of building custom software is alive and well despite the emergence of tons of ready to use offline and online business apps. Businesses build custom software for various reasons. Some are unsatisfied by solutions available on the market, others need very specific features or overall functionality, security and privacy concerns are another major driver of tailored software development. The process of building custom software involves five basic stages, if you stick to traditional software development workflow, or an indefinite number of iterations under agile development method. Both approaches, however, include various scenarios in which intellectual property rights are involved, writes Jorge Sagastume.
Your brand is everything in the global marketplace. It is no exaggeration to say that a business now lives and dies by both its offline, online and social reputation. Because of this, searching a trademark is more vital than ever before. It is important for trademark professionals to work faster and more effectively in searching, clearing and registering strong marks to ensure clients have a competitive advantage. To do so requires the merging of the old and new: the specific knowledge that only highly experienced trademark experts can provide, with the advantages of the latest wave of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, writes Ronda Majure.
PARIS -- La Revue Prescrire, a French journal for healthcare professionals, has chosen “Private Patents and Public Health” — a 2016 book written by Ellen ’t Hoen — as one of four winners of its 2017 Prescrire Prize Book Award. Calling it “a major reference work on access to medicines and the patent system,” Prescrire praised ’t Hoen’s book both for its extensive collection of data and examples as well as its readability. (Medicines Law & Policy contributor, Kaitlin Mara was the editor of the book).
Register Now for The Global Debate on Intellectual Property, Trade and Development: Past, Present and Future - A Conference in Honour of Pedro Roffe, taking place on 15 June at the University of Geneva, Uni-Bastions, Geneva, Switzerland. Registration is open and free, see details.
There are a vast amount of ways in which you can structure an intellectual property collaboration between a university and business. This article looks to provide guidance and points for consideration by both sides.
Imagine your company just acquired its competitor for $100 million. Now imagine the company’s most important asset – its proprietary software – is subject to third-party license conditions that require the proprietary software to be distributed free of charge or in source code form. Or, imagine these license conditions are discovered late in the diligence process, and the cost to replace the offending third-party software will costs tens of thousands of dollars and take months to remediate. Both scenarios exemplify the acute, distinct and often overlooked risks inherent to the commercial use of open source software. An effective tech M&A attorney must appreciate these risks and be prepared to take the steps necessary to mitigate or eliminate them.
Managing a brand and trademark portfolio is a demanding undertaking that can require expert precision to prevent unsavory characters and companies from stealing intellectual property. Tools are needed to help companies better manage their IP assets in a more expedient and comprehensive fashion, writes Mason Cole of Donuts.
In the light of the UN High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines, this series of sponsored articles challenges experts to give their views on the policies that best support the development of solutions to societies’ greatest challenges and how enabling policy environments, including IP systems, influence the development and flow of new technologies and services in different sectors, fields of technology, and jurisdictions. The views expressed in the articles are those of the authors. Below is an interview with Jennifer Dent, President, BIO Ventures for Global Health (BVGH).