WIPO SMEs Newsletter June 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.
NEWS
WIPO and ICOM to Collaborate in Cultural Heritage and Museum Areas
WIPO and the Paris-based
International Council of Museums (ICOM) will collaborate in the management of intellectual
property options, as well as the mediation of disputes in the area of cultural heritage and
museums. This concerns in particular copyright, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural
expressions, and digitization of cultural artifacts. A memorandum of understanding was signed
by heads of both organizations at WIPO in Geneva on May 3, 2011.
TRAINING/LEARNING RESOURCES ON IP ASSET MANAGEMENT
2nd Annual KIPO-WIPO-KAIST-KIPA Advanced International Certificate Course on IPR & Business Based on IP PANORAMATM Multimedia Toolkit in English
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Korean Intellectual Property Office
(KIPO), the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and the Korea Invention
Promotion Association (KIPA) are jointly offering the advanced training course on IP and business.
This Course consists of the following three components: 1) Online course; 2) IP essay test;
and 3) Offline course. The Online course, based on the twelve modules of IP PANORAMA in
English, through the
www.ippanorama.com
website, will be organized three times a year: the first session was completed with more than
300 students from April 20 to May 31, 2011;
the second one will be from June 8 to July 19, 2011, but registration for which was already
done; and the third one from July 20 to August 30, 2011, and registration for which will be
available from June 22 to July 19, 2011. The top 60 students in the three sessions of the
Online course will be eligible for the IP essay test. Up to top 10 students from developing
countries in the IP essay test will be eligible to participate in the Offline course with a
scholarship to cover their travel and stay costs in Seoul, Republic of Korea, from November 8 to
10, 2011. 20 domestic students will also be provided accommodation in Seoul, if needed. For more
details, please see at
www.ippanorama.com
.
General Information on Training of Trainers Program, the SMEs Division, WIPO
The SMEs Division of WIPO is offering the Training of Trainers (TOT) Program in those
countries that have translated and/or adapted the basic materials on IP for Business published by
the Division and are 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.
IP PANORAMA TM 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
theIP 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.
LINKS
Top Ten Legal Mistakes Made by Entrepreneurs
Connie Bagley, Associate Professor, Harvard Business School, points out the
legal issues commonly faced by entrepreneurs, as
well as her thoughts on how to successfully deal with them, in the form of a list of "top ten"
legal mistakes often made by the unsuspecting. She says “Lawyers tend to be risk averse, and if you
delegate to them you will usually stay out of legal trouble but can often compromise your business
objectives. My goal for the course—and for the coaching I give entrepreneurs—is to give them
sufficient comfort with the legal concepts to feel confident in driving the process, to understand
the ways in which the law is a constraint, but also the ways in which it is a tool that can help
you create and capture value.”
Caring for Your Patent Garden during Economic Winter
Lisa M. Treannie, Patent Attorney, U.S, suggests
a few tips to assist
companies in making decisions that will benefit them both now and when economic sunshine
returns as the followings: Conduct an Audit of Your Patent Portfolio; Look for Opportunities to
Monetize Non-Core Patent Properties; Create a Budget That Identifies Timing and Magnitude of
Expenses; and, Consider Timing Issues as Part of Business Strategy; Improve Internal
Procedures.
Hybrid Use of Trade Secret and Patent Protection in Green Technology
The interplay between trade secret and patent protection has become more significant during
the current domestic and international economic downturn. As companies around the world have
tightened their belts, those engaged in green technology face even tougher challenges. Susan Perng
Pan, Patent Attorney, U.S, provides
here
some advice on hybrid use of trade secret and patent protection in green technology.
Licensing Trade Secrets with Patents Under US Law
An Initiative of Chamber of Commerce of Pisa for IP on SMEs
The Chamber of Commerce of Pisa, Italy, has taken raising awareness and support of
intellectual property protection of its local businesses to the next step by developing and
registering the community trademark,
Alabaster in Volterra, in collaboration with local businesses. For more details, see
here.
Plan Your Clean Energy IP Strategy
Clean energy innovation has taken centre
stage for the US and China. Rodger Sadler, Chi Cheung, Xiang Wang and Yali Hu provide tips for
companies seeking to enter the market in this increasingly essential sector.
Blind Spots: Hidden Risks in Patent Portfolio Management
Introduction – From Acorns to Oak Trees: How Patent Audits help Innovations Reach their full Potential
This paper presents some thoughts on developing an
IP
management roadmap that makes financial sense. It looks at some ways to audit an existing
portfolio, as well as how simultaneously to gain necessary competitive intelligence to help
intangible assets reach their fullest potential within the confines of a tightly managed
company.
The Trademark Reporter – International Trademark Association (INTA) – The Law Journal of the International Trademark Association – Celebrating 100 Years – 1911 to 2011
This article which was recently published by the International Trademark Association (INTA)
provides a
brief
history of the past century of the U.S. Supreme Court’s consideration of trademark issues
through examining the Court’s treatment of descriptive and deceptive trademarks; trade dress, and
then infringement, with all its surrounding questions. It concludes with brief notes on dilution
and on the special issues surrounding Olympic trademarks.
Corporate Strategies, Structures and Ownership of Intellectual Property Rights
Intellectual property (IP) rights such as copyrights, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets
are considered invaluable intangible assets that hold great economic promise and are, for many
companies, a significant source of revenue. Companies develop, acquire, and leverage these
intangible assets to enhance the potential of their businesses. The process of making the decisions
regarding this
intangible
asset management is handled differently by different executives and different companies. This
article explores the different options and decisions that companies have made and are making as
they value and strategically leverage these intangible assets.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
WIPO Arbitration Workshop, October 13-14, 2011 (Geneva, Switzerland)
Arbitration is a procedure in which a dispute is submitted, by agreement of the parties, to
one or more arbitrators who make a binding decision on the dispute. In choosing arbitration,
the parties opt for a private dispute resolution procedure instead of going to court. The
WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center will offer an Arbitration Workshop in Geneva on Thursday,
October 13 and Friday, October 14, 2011. This Workshop will provide intensive basic training
of a practical nature for party representatives in arbitration and for arbitrators, as well as
others wishing to familiarize themselves with the international arbitration process. The
training, which will be conducted by experienced international arbitrators, will focus on the main
principles of international commercial arbitration law and practice, with particular reference to
the practical application of the WIPO Arbitration and Expedited Arbitration Rules (as well as the
WIPO Expert Determination Rules) in intellectual property and technology disputes.
Further information is available at
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/events/
PAST EVENT
7th INSME Annual Meeting on “Competitiveness, Culture and Cross-Border Co-operation: Assisting SMEs to Grow, Innovate and Reach International Markets,” May 23 -26, 2011, Helsinki, Finland More
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
