Patents
Peter Dorr
Patentadvisor Utrecht/Gelderland
Octrooicentrum Nederland
Octrooicentrum Nederland (Dutch patent Office)
Department Ministery of Economic Affiars
Patenting in the Netherlands (Law ROW1995)
• Novelty Search
• Register
Patent-Information
• What is the a patent and how can you use it?
• Use of technical information from patents
You can not protect an idea!!
Example:
• Delivering pizza’s
• Sending cards through the internet
• Mobile phone with camera
• Anti-theft bicycle lock
Kinds of protection
Intellectual Property
Copyright
Industrial Property
Designs
Trademarks
Patents
Copyright
‘Works of literature, science or art' new and creative.
Right starts on date of creation, free of charge
Right to publish and reproducing
Protection ends 70 years after the death of the creator
Evidence date of creation.
More info www.auteursrecht.nl
Design
The looks of a product
• new and own character
• not defined by technical properties
Grace period: 12 months after publication
Duration 5 year and can be extended 4 times (25 years)
Registration for Benelux, EU or worldwide
More information www.boip.int
Modelregistratie Axa - Europa
Trademarks
Words and signs to distinguish products and companies
• distinguishable
• not common
• words, character, colors, shapes, smell, melody etc.
Valid 10 years after registration can be extended infinite
Must be used within 5 years
Deposit for Benelux, EU, national of international
More information www.boip.int
Trademarks
•
words
(names “Philips”, “2.5% ALCOHOL 100% GROLSCH”)
•
signs
•
shapes (eg. Packaging)
•
color (kpn green)
Trademark AXA Defender - EU
Trademark AXA - Benelux
One product: more IP forms (IP-mix)
Patent
Trademark
?
Copyright
Trademark(shape)
Design
Patents
•
What is a patent?
•
Misunderstanding
•
Patent procedures
•
Infringment
What is a patent?
A temporary right issued by the government of a country which gives you the
right to prevent your competitor:
• To produce
• To import
• To have in stock
• To trade
• To use in company
Beware: Patent applications and issued patents are
published.
Requirements for a patent
You can apply for a patent for anything technical.
You only obtain the patent right when it is:
1.
New (worldwide)
2.
Inventive
3.
Industrial applicable (solution for a problem)
misunderstanding
‘With a patent i am protected’
Your own responsibility to detect infringement
You have to start a legal procedure yourself
Patents can be nullified (novelty, inventive step)
Patent procedures
1) Country; NL, DE, US, JP, GB, FR, etc.
Nederland – NL Octrooicentrum
2) European 1 application for 37 countries
Europees Patent Office (EPO)
3) Internationaal (1 application for 142 countries
Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)
Priority year gives possibility to swich procedures
World
Procedures
Patentapplication
PCT (WO)
(XX)
12 mnth
National
<> 18 mnth
publ. +
right
18-36 mnth
publ.
EP
18 mnth
publ.
> 21 mnth
18 mnth
publ.
20 yrs
17
publ.
(administrative)
right
right
20 yrs
20 yrs
right
20 yrs
NL-Procedure
(NL 1012345)
ROW 1995:
• Filing application
• Novelty search + written opinion
• Always granted! (max 18 months after filing)
• Examination aftwards by court
• Validity max 20 years (if fees are paid)
Switching to other procedures (countries) within 12 months after filing
EP-Procedure
(EP 1023456)
Central application for 37 countries
EPO
•
Application in English, German or French
•
Novelty search and written opinion
•
Publication application after 18 months
•
Examinination on novelty, inventive step and applicability
•
Decision about grant 4/5 years after filing
•
After grant new publication
•
Enforcing the right in different countries (translation, fee)
•
Bundle national right
B
PCT = ‘Worldwide’
(WO 2010/012345)
Central application for 142 countries WIPO
•
Filing in: English, French, German, Spanish, Japanes, Chinese of Russian
•
Novelty search and preliminary examination
•
Publication 18 months after filing
Procedure stops after 30 months (no grant!)
Procedure continues in countries or regions of choice
Disadvantages
Costs
Publication of knowledge
procedures
Timeframe
Detection of infringement
Consts procedures
Advantages
Monopoly
Protect development
Earning investments
Sell licences
Sell knowledge
Image
Funding
To think about before application
Which IP?
Keep it secret?
Protection of what ?
Prove infringement?
Cost/ Benefit
Marketanalyse
Finance
Patent, design, trademark etc.
Internal proces
Broad or narrow?
Reverse engineering
profit of the patent?
Productcycle, advantage
legal costs
Cooperation and IP
Who owns what?
• Applicant(s) are the owners and responsible for decisions.
• Main user: owner, other parties: licence
• Basicly the creator is the owner, you can specify
otherwise.
• Employee: The company is the owner.
• Patents are still national rights.
Searching for patent information
Stay informed about technological innovations
What opportunities are there in the technical field
Find companies to co-operate with
Is a technique protected?
Follow competitors
Have a look in the future
CC Mendax (2008)
Bron: http://www.maclife.com/patents
“Inside Apple R&D -- Apple Patents Realized”
Trendwatching
Posted 05/14/2008 at 8:08:37pm |
Roger Hibbert,
• What are competitors developing? by
3D Illustration by Adam Benton
• What can we expect in the (near) future?
Publicatienummer
Publicatiedatum
Aanvrager
Titel
: US2008002350
: 3 january 2008
: Apple Computer Apple INC
:Integrated monitor and
docking station.
Bron: www.nu.nl
“iPad introduced in United States”
Uitgegeven:3 april 2010 07:15
Patent frontpage
Subject /
Technical data
Bibliografic data
Index of a patent application
Frontpage
Subject / Technical data
Bibliografic data
Other pages
State of the art
What is known
What is the problem
Invention
Text
Drawings
General
applicants / inventors / coverage / state-of-the-art
http://worldwide.espacenet.com
www.google.nl/patents
Status
termination / granting / opposition / validity (per country or region)
NL
EP/ WO
US
divers
www.octrooicentrum.nl
www.epoline.org
www.uspto.gov
www.won-nl.org
Codes
state-of-the-art
CPC
IPC
http://worldwide.espacenet.com/classification?locale=en_EP
http://www.ipc-nl.nl
http://www.wipo.int/classifications/fulltext/new_ipc/index.htm
Trademarks
Benelux
www.bbie.nl
Europe
http://oami.europa.eu
Octrooiregister
Patent Register
Status
Links / Publieke homepages . . .
What is the problem?
In some parts of the world a lot of people are
starving
At the same time these parts are
subject to specific diseases.
The idea
Giving the people in these parts of the world
medicine and food at the same time by
introducing medicine into food.
Questions
What are the technical possibilities on this
subject?
What parties can we approach for possible
cooperation and / or licensing?
Patent databases
• Patents are about technical stuff
• The patent databases are built from a
technical point of view
Patent databases
Start searching for relevant patents
Work out the subject.
What do you know, who do you know;
what do you want to know?
• What is the essence of the idea?
• Do you know technical details?
• Do you know a company or competitors?
• Do you know trademarks?
Subquestions
1) What is known about techniques to modify crops etc.
in a way, that when they grow they will produce medicine?
(After harvesting the crops producing food of it,
hand it over to the sick and starving people, thus
giving them medicine and food at the same time)
2) Where are these kind of inventions classified ?
3) Who are
(main)
applicants
Thethe
answer
of patent
subquestion
3 will?contain
the answer to the main question
Patent databases
54 resu
Patent databases
Language in patents
Writing instrument
= pen
Spherical object with
floppy filaments to
promote sure capture = toy ball
Energy-storing means = spring
Patent databases
Information search
E
Razor blades
D
B26B
CPC
A Human Necessities
B Performing operations
C Chemistry
D Textiles; Paper
E Vaste constructies
F Mechanical engineering, etc
G Physics
H Electricity
Y Tagging new developments
A
A
AB
BC
CD
DE
B
C
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
Foto: Neil101
Patent databases
1668 results!
Better use regist
of national office
(www.won-nl.org
Possible Licenso
or business partn
Find more releva
patents
169 different patent applicants:
Biggest applicants are:
Large Scale Biology
Dow Agrosciences
Plant Research Intern
Biosource Technology
Scripps Research Inst
Thomson Boyce Inst
altogether 1429 times listed as apllicant
7,35 %
4,48 %
3,08 %
2,80 %
2,80 %
2,73 %
Other Dutch applicants are:
Rijk Zwaan Zaadteelt
0,35 %
Univ Wageningen
0,28 %
Unilever
0,10 %
Octrooi-aanvragen C12N15/82C4D2
500
Patent applications C12N15/8
450
400
Aantal..
350
300
250
200
Note: There is even a company
called “Edible Vaccines Inc” !!!
150
100
50
0
1989-1992
1993-1996
1997-2000
Periode
2001-2004
2005-2008
Summary
Use the Patent-database to find technics, competitors, inventors and other statistics!
Work out the subject.
– What do know, who do you know; what do you want to know?
- Do you know trademarks or companies in the technical field?
- Think of (technical) keywords and their synonyms
use www.espacenet.nl or worldwide.espacenet.com
1) Determine a relevant classification code by using keywords
2) Use classification to find relevant patents
3) Refine classification with keywords and/or bibliographic data
3) While searching to specific technical stuff use the drawings (click: Mosaics)
4) Search, (and read) relevant patent applications
5) Determine a more specific classificationcode to find even more information!
Example
I want to invent a new kind of lens system.
The lens can be used in many applications like
spectacles, illumination, endoscopy, microscopy,
photography etc.
The idea: Variable Focus Lens
The focus point of my lens can be changed in a
continously variable way.
The lens system is filled with a conducting fluid, which
is in contact with two or more electrodes.
By changing the voltage over the electrodes, I can
thus change the focus of my lens system.
Question:
Is this a very original idea, in other words am I the first one ?
Subquestions:
Where are these kind of lenses classified ? What is the stateof-the-art ?
G02B 3/14
2333 hits
G02B26/004
1956 hits
)
) in combination 711 hits:
)
WO2008062067
Varioptic
US2007211207
Univ. of California
WO2005003842
Philips Electronics
Questions?
NL Octrooicentrum
Peter Dorr
peter.dorr@agentschapnl.nl
tel.: 088 - 444 0 247