Since the establishment of the University of Bologna in 1088,
European universities have been creating new knowledge and training a
professional workforce. However, a new millennium brings new challenges and
there is a need for these institutions to embrace change if they are to rise to
the opportunities presented to them...
The topic of the first article of this series (see IPR-Helpdesk
Bulletin No. 30) was the term “value”. It has been proven that
the patent value is not an objective figure, but one which can vary widely,
depending on the valuation subject. Patent valuation must therefore always be
conducted from the perspective of a certain person or...
The IPCA model is
developed by the European Information & Communications Technology Industry
Association (EICTA). This group, representing digital technology industries,
has a longstanding tradition of developing sector-specific consortium agreement
models. The procedure for the development of their consortium agreement is well
organised...
The distribution of information on intellectual property rights has
always been one of the key functions of a patent office. In accordance with the
“contract theory” upon which patenting is based today, the
applicant is granted the protection right by the State on the condition that
the product of innovation is announced to the public...
Malta became the 134th
contracting state of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it filed its
instrument of accession with WIPO on 1st December 2006. The Treaty has entered into
force for Malta on 1st March
2007...
‘Lazy Bones’ was the trade name of the first remote
control in the world. It was developed by the US corporation Zenith in 1950.
The company founder, president Eugene McDonald, came up with the idea for the
invention because he thought viewers would appreciate being able to
‘tune out annoying commercials’. Unfortunately, the first remote
...
Electric cars are coming and they are quieter than combustion
vehicles. Many people cross the street without looking too carefully when they
do not hear anything. When you only have electrical cars this may cause a
problem. Why not have cars emit noise to prevent this type of accident? Try
finding patents covering this concept...
When looking at a patent document it is important to bear in mind
that this patent may be granted and still valid. However, in many cases, a
patent document is not to be considered as a valid granted patent and therefore
does not prevent you from obtaining any rights...
The DETECT-it 2 project is a FP6 funded initiative whose main
objective is to detect opportunities for
SMEs to participate in the first call of the
7th Framework Programme. ...
