WIPO SMEs Newsletter April 2011
By the SMEs Division of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
WIPO SMEs Newsletter is a monthly e-publication providing readers with useful intellectual property (IP) information contained in articles, case studies, forthcoming IP/SMEs relevant events, and published presentations featured on our web site. We hope you will find it useful and informative. We encourage you to share the newsletter or items of interest with friends and colleagues. For past issues and information on the activities of the SMEs Division, please visit http://www.wipo.int/sme.
General Information on Training of Trainers Program, the SMEs Division, WIPO
The SMEs Division of WIPO is offering Training of Trainers (TOT) Programs in those countries that have translated and/or adapted the basic materials on IP for Business published by the Division. The TOT programs are conducted with the objective of creating a critical mass of trainers in the country who have the basic knowledge, skills and experience to provide preliminary IP assistance to SMEs on effective IP asset management. For more details, please see here.
NEWS
WIPO Launches New On-line Tool to Facilitate Brand Searches
A new on-line tool launched by WIPO on March 8, 2011, will make it easier to search over 640,000
records relating to internationally protected trademarks, appellations of origin and armorial
bearings, flags and other state emblems as well as the names, abbreviations and emblems of
intergovernmental organizations.
The Global Brand Database allows free of
charge, simultaneous brand-related searches across multiple collections.
The service will be integrated into
WIPO
GOLD, which provides quick and easy on-line access to a broad collection of searchable IP data
and tools relating to, for example, technology, brands, designs, statistics, WIPO standards, and
international classification systems.
WIPO to Support South American Countries in Regional Collaborative Project
WIPO has responded positively to a request by a group of nine South American countries – Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname and Uruguay – to assist in their efforts to improve services to local and international users of the IP system, initially through sharing patent examination results and other intellectual property (IP) resources. The request came in a letter to WIPO Director General Francis Gurry from the President of Argentina’s industrial property office (INPI-Argentina), Mr. Mario Aramburu, who was writing on behalf of the nine countries.
International Conference Concludes TKDL Can Prevent Misappropriation and Fuel Innovation
Representatives from more than 35 countries discussed at the International Conference on the Utilization of the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library as a Model for Protection of Traditional Knowledge the potential of India’s Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) – a database documenting centuries-old traditional medicinal treatments – to be emulated in their countries and concluded that such a mechanism can fuel future innovation and benefit-sharing. There was widespread agreement about the value of TKDLs to protect against misappropriation of traditional knowledge (TK), as well as their potential in enabling further innovation, such as in the area of public health.
TRAINING/LEARNING RESOURCES ON IP ASSET MANAGEMENT
European Patent Office, IP Strategy Trainings
The European Patent Office (EPO) is hosting workshops at its four main offices during May & June, with a selection of topics from over 50 teaching hours of its recently updated ip4inno teaching materials. Much of this new material may be tried before attending the workshops. For more details, please see here.
IP PANORAMATM Multimedia Toolkit
The IP PANORAMA™ multimedia toolkit is now available in English, Arabic, Thai and Hungarian
through the
SMEs Division’s website. The English and Arabic
versions are also available on CD-ROM on request. The learning points (in English) of the IP
PANORAMA™ multimedia toolkit have recently been uploaded as pdf format files on the website, which
are also available as a separate book. Anyone interested in receiving a free copy of the CD-ROM
and/or book containing the learning points may send an email to
sme@wipo.int providing full
postal address, including telephone number, and the purpose for which the CD-ROM/book would be
used.
During this year, we expect to have more language versions of IP PANORAMA including the
French, Spanish, Kiswahili, Vietnamese and Russian.
ARTICLE
Comparative Analysis of Olfactory Trademarks in the EU and US
As trademarks are becoming more important in distinguishing one company’s goods or services from
another’s, there has been recognition that other components, such as scents, are also capable of
being used as mark. Luca Escoffier, a Ph.D candidate at the Queen Mary Intellectual Property
Research Institute, London, United Kingdom and Arnold Jin, the Government Surveillance Fellow at
the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, United States, have written an article for this
Newsletter where issues pertaining to olfactory trademarks are discussed, under the title of “To
scent, or not to scent, that is the question: a comparative analysis of olfactory trademarks in the
EU and US as good brand opportunities for SMEs.”
It explores the registration processes in both the European Union and the US to determine the
registrability of olfactory scents as trademarks. Through this comparative analysis, the authors
argue that olfactory trademark is yet premature due to weak distinctiveness of the scent itself in
the scientific and technological perspective, even though there is some discrepancy between the EU
and US as to registrability of a scent as trademark.
For the full text, please
see
here.
LINKS
Top Five Overlooked Pitfalls in Inwardly Licensing IP
There are many reasons to consider licensing “in” technology from an institution, com¬pany or
even an individual. These include: expanding your own technology, increas¬ing market coverage,
saving the time and money to develop the technology yourself, eliminating a possible patent
infringement threat, and - in the case of an exclusive license - adding an offensive weapon to your
arsenal.
This article,
written by Steven J. Henry, provides some tips many li¬censees often overlook when inwardly
licensing technology.
For more information on IP licenses, see also the following WIPO links:
Exchanging Value -
Negotiating Technology Licensing Agreements - A Training Manual;
Successful
Technology Licensing;
Licensing and Technology
Transfer; and,
Licensing of Intellectual
Property Rights; a Vital Component of the Business Strategy of Your SME.
Supply Chain Toolkit: Protecting Your IP Rights
This informative toolkit for businesses and SMEs, published by the IP Crime Group, UK, aims to raise awareness of counterfeit goods entering legitimate business supply chains, and offers them guidance on how to strengthen and protect their assets. It includes a step by step approach on what action should be taken if counterfeits are found within the supply chain.
How Proactive Intellectual Property Management Can Improve Research Collaborations: Good Practices in EU and BRIC Higher Education Institutions BRIC Higher Education Institutions
The report is written under a project co-funded by the European Commission within the Erasmus
Mundus Programme to present a reference document for individuals and organizations involved in
EU-BRIC research
cooperation. It offers a detailed explanation of the most important factors which
characterize the environment for R&D cooperation and intellectual property issues in EU and
BRIC countries.
For more information on IP management, see also the following links:
Fundamentals of Intellectual Property
Management by SMEs;
Why Does Intellectual
Property Management Matter for the Public Sector?; and,
National Principles of IP
Management for Publicly Funded Research.
An Overview of Technology Transfer and Technology Transfer Models
Experience over the decades has shown that the technology transfer process can be problematic
and transferees often lack the skills to manage it effectively. This paper, prepared by Dr. K.
Ramanathan, Head of the UNESCAP Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT),
proposes a “
Life
Cycle Approach for Planning and Implementing a Technology Transfer Project” that could help
address some of the important process management problems faced by managers of technology transfer
projects and avoid common errors that they tend to make, through an overview of technology transfer
and some important existing models of technology transfer.
For more information on technology transfer, see also the following links:
Exchanging Value -
Negotiating Technology Licensing Agreements - A Training Manual;
Technology
Transfer, Intellectual Property Rights and University-Industry Partnerships: The Experience of
China, India, Japan, Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Thailand;
Developing University-Industry Technology
Transfer; and,
Technology Transfer
Principle & Strategy
Patent Backed Securitization: Blueprint for a New Asset Class
This article, written by David Edwards, explores the current state of the IP backed securitization industry with particular emphasis on the patent backed market, and presents a strategy and framework for companies, investors, and finance professionals to promote, develop, and profit from the growth in patent backed finance, predicting that the next several years will likely see the creation of a new class of asset backed securities with intellectual property (IP)-chiefly patents, as the underlying asset.
FOTHCOMING EVENTS
WIPO Workshop for Mediators, May 30-31, 2011, Geneva, Switzerland
The significant time and cost that can be associated with court proceedings are increasingly
causing parties to look for alternative ways of settling their disputes. Mediation is an
extension of direct negotiations between the parties to a dispute, conducted with the aid of a
neutral intermediary, the mediator. It is the preferred mode of dispute resolution in many of
the most important markets of Asia, as well as an increasingly popular method of dispute settlement
in the United States of America and in Europe. As an international resource center in the
area of intellectual property mediation and arbitration, the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center
will offer a Workshop for Mediators in IP Disputes on Monday, May 30 and Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at
the headquarters of WIPO in Geneva, Switzerland. The Workshop is held in English and is
designed for lawyers, business executives, patent and trademark specialists and others who wish to
become familiar with the mediation process and receive training as mediators. Taught by
Professor Robert H. Mnookin of Harvard Law School and Professor Gary J. Friedman of the Center for
Mediation in Law of Mill Valley, California, the program is based on simulated intellectual
property mediation exercises.
For more information of the Workshop,
see here.
PAST EVENTS
NOTE:
The SMEs Division welcomes voluntary contributions of articles, case studies, news items, useful links and relevant information concerning forthcoming events of interest to entrepreneurs and SMEs for inclusion in future issues of this newsletter; contributions may be sent by email to sme@wipo.int.
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Copyright (c) 2011 World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), 34, chemin des Colombettes, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
