David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch; New Research Study Describes DNDi As A “Commons” For Public Health
"Since 2003, Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) has worked to
meet the public health needs of neglected populations by filling gaps
in drug development left by the for-profit pharmaceutical industry. A
new research study by the French Development Agency analysed DNDi’s
unique product development partnership (PDP) model, and found that it
“illustrate[s] what can be presented as a ‘commons’ within the area of
public health."
The research study, “DNDi, a Distinctive Illustration of Commons in the Area of Public Health,”
was published earlier this month by the Agence Française de
Développement (AFD), the French public development bank that “works in
many sectors — energy, healthcare, biodiversity, water, digital
technology, professional training, among others — to assist with
transitions towards a safer, more equitable, and more sustainable world:
a world in common,” according to its website."
Issues and developments related to IP, AI, and OM, examined in the IP and tech ethics graduate courses I teach at the University of Pittsburgh School of Computing and Information. My Bloomsbury book "Ethics, Information, and Technology", coming in Summer 2025, includes major chapters on IP, AI, OM, and other emerging technologies (IoT, drones, robots, autonomous vehicles, VR/AR). Kip Currier, PhD, JD
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Startup Law A to Z: Intellectual Property; TechCrunch, February 25, 2019
Daniel McKenzie, TechCrunch; Startup Law A to Z: Intellectual Property
"Whether protected through copyright, trade secret, trademark, or patents, software technology companies depend on IP more so than perhaps any other business type in history.
It is surprising, then, just how little founders think about protecting their own IP. Sure, “product-market fit” is an all-engrossing search for truth that tolerates no distraction, but that is at best an explanation, not an excuse.
The real pros will find product-market fit while documenting and protecting IP along the way — it’s the only way to ensure you own your work, after all.
This article provides an overview to help you think about where your IP sits, how to protect it, and how to avoid certain pitfalls that plague far too many startups."
"Whether protected through copyright, trade secret, trademark, or patents, software technology companies depend on IP more so than perhaps any other business type in history.
It is surprising, then, just how little founders think about protecting their own IP. Sure, “product-market fit” is an all-engrossing search for truth that tolerates no distraction, but that is at best an explanation, not an excuse.
The real pros will find product-market fit while documenting and protecting IP along the way — it’s the only way to ensure you own your work, after all.
This article provides an overview to help you think about where your IP sits, how to protect it, and how to avoid certain pitfalls that plague far too many startups."
A Century-Old Debate Over Science Patents Is Repeating Itself Today; Slate, February 25, 2019
Charles Duan, Slate; A Century-Old Debate Over Science Patents Is Repeating Itself Today
"What caused the demise of Ruffini’s idea? It turned out to be devils in the details: Deep thinkers on the subject, even those in favor of scientific property in principle, couldn’t figure out the implementation. Rogers, for example, wondered how scientific property would deal with multiple contributors to one discovery. Who, for example, “discovered” electricity—Benjamin Franklin? André-Marie Ampère? George Simon Ohm? The “chap that made the Leyden jar”? Industries worried about unexpected liability and demanded creation of a scientific property insurance scheme. The American Association for the Advancement of Science report found concerns that the expansive scope of some scientific discoveries could lead to unbounded, tortuous litigation. A U.S. Patent Office official wondered how scientific property patents could be written without being too vague and speculative."
"What caused the demise of Ruffini’s idea? It turned out to be devils in the details: Deep thinkers on the subject, even those in favor of scientific property in principle, couldn’t figure out the implementation. Rogers, for example, wondered how scientific property would deal with multiple contributors to one discovery. Who, for example, “discovered” electricity—Benjamin Franklin? André-Marie Ampère? George Simon Ohm? The “chap that made the Leyden jar”? Industries worried about unexpected liability and demanded creation of a scientific property insurance scheme. The American Association for the Advancement of Science report found concerns that the expansive scope of some scientific discoveries could lead to unbounded, tortuous litigation. A U.S. Patent Office official wondered how scientific property patents could be written without being too vague and speculative."
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Dentist’s failed suit demonstrates a copyright’s bite needs more than teeth; Lexology, February 18, 2019
Thompson Coburn LLP -
Mark Sableman, Lexology; Dentist’s failed suit demonstrates a copyright’s bite needs more than teeth
"The court agreed in Pohl v. MH SUB I, LLC,
finding that Dr. Pohl’s two “direct shots” of his patient’s teeth were
purely utilitarian, like pictures of food plates on a Chinese
restaurant’s menu. They lacked the minimal required “creative spark.”...
For more information, there’s a chapter
in the Copyright Office Compendium on this subject. Or you can just
remember: “No way” for teeth or triangles; a thin “OK” for tetrahedrons."
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
The worst possible version of the EU Copyright Directive has sparked a German uprising; BoingBoing, February 18, 2019
Cory Doctorow, BoingBoing; The worst possible version of the EU Copyright Directive has sparked a German uprising
"In the meantime, the petition to save Europe from the Directive—already the largest in EU history—keeps racking up more signatures, and is on track to be the largest petition in the history of the world."
"In the meantime, the petition to save Europe from the Directive—already the largest in EU history—keeps racking up more signatures, and is on track to be the largest petition in the history of the world."
Saturday, February 16, 2019
Entrepreneurs Tell USPTO Director Iancu: Patent Trolls Aren’t Just “Monster Stories”; Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), February 14, 2019
Joe Mullin, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF); Entrepreneurs Tell USPTO Director Iancu: Patent Trolls Aren’t Just “Monster Stories”
"Unfortunately, the new director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is in a serious state of denial about patent trolls and the hurt they cause to technologists everywhere. Today a number of small business owners and start-up founders have submitted a letter [PDF] to USPTO Director Andre Iancu telling him that patent trolls remain a real threat to U.S. businesses. Signatories range from mid-sized companies like Foursquare and Life360 to one-person software enterprises like Ken Cooper's. The letter explains the harm, cost, and stress that patent trolls cause businesses."
"Unfortunately, the new director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is in a serious state of denial about patent trolls and the hurt they cause to technologists everywhere. Today a number of small business owners and start-up founders have submitted a letter [PDF] to USPTO Director Andre Iancu telling him that patent trolls remain a real threat to U.S. businesses. Signatories range from mid-sized companies like Foursquare and Life360 to one-person software enterprises like Ken Cooper's. The letter explains the harm, cost, and stress that patent trolls cause businesses."
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
The Scouts Teach Us All a Lesson About Trademark Law; Forbes, February 12, 2019
Tony Marks, Forbes; The Scouts Teach Us All a Lesson About Trademark Law
"David Harford, an attorney with Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, contributed to this post."...
"Ultimately, the Girl Scout’s suit against the Boy Scouts demonstrates the caution that should be exercised regarding the use of intellectual property in connection with the alteration and expansion of services. This is a message that all franchisors should take to heart as they rebrand or brand products and services. The Boy Scouts likely devoted a lot of resources to determine how they should let everyone know that they were offering new services. Instead of just reaping the benefits of that work, they are now fighting a lawsuit that may result in their inability to take advantage of their new marketing strategy."
"David Harford, an attorney with Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, contributed to this post."...
"Ultimately, the Girl Scout’s suit against the Boy Scouts demonstrates the caution that should be exercised regarding the use of intellectual property in connection with the alteration and expansion of services. This is a message that all franchisors should take to heart as they rebrand or brand products and services. The Boy Scouts likely devoted a lot of resources to determine how they should let everyone know that they were offering new services. Instead of just reaping the benefits of that work, they are now fighting a lawsuit that may result in their inability to take advantage of their new marketing strategy."
Lack of women inventors could hurt innovation, US patent office says; CNet, February 12, 2019
Erin Carson, CNet; Lack of women inventors could hurt innovation, US patent office says
The report, titled Progress and Potential: A profile of women inventors on US patents,
found that while the share of patents that include at least one woman
listed as an inventor rose from 7 percent in the 1980s to 21 percent in
2016, women accounted for only 12 percent of inventors in 2016.
"Harnessing underexploited talent in these groups would be valuable to spurring innovation and driving growth," reads the report, whose release coincided with the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. It refers to the idea of "lost Einsteins," or people who could have made valuable contributions had they been exposed to "innovation and inventor role models.""
"More women are filing patents, but they still
have a long way to go in terms of representation among inventors,
according to a report out Monday from the US Patent and Trademark
Office.
"Harnessing underexploited talent in these groups would be valuable to spurring innovation and driving growth," reads the report, whose release coincided with the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. It refers to the idea of "lost Einsteins," or people who could have made valuable contributions had they been exposed to "innovation and inventor role models.""
Colorado Open Scholars Summit to examine ‘Open Access in Tenure and Promotion’ March 1; Colorado State University, February 9, 2019
CSU External Relations Staff, Colorado State University; Colorado Open Scholars Summit to examine ‘Open Access in Tenure and Promotion’ March 1
"The second biennial Colorado Open Scholars Summit, a statewide event co-sponsored by nine Colorado universities, will be held on March 1 in the Morgan Library Event Hall at CSU.
The focus of this year’s event, being held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is “Open Access in Tenure and Promotion.” The summit will consist of two virtual panels featuring renowned scholars from the U.S. and Canada, followed by local discussions at the nine participating Colorado institutions, including CSU.
The first panel features CSU’s own Patrick Burns, dean of libraries and vice president of information technology, and will be a general discussion of challenges within the tenure and promotion process. This panel will focus on evaluation of scholarly and creative output, with particular attention paid to disincentives built into the T&P process and challenges in evaluating multidisciplinary and non-traditional scholarship.
The second panel will explore the topics of equity, prestige and quality of scholarship, with particular focus on the effect of open access on these areas of T&P evaluation."
"The second biennial Colorado Open Scholars Summit, a statewide event co-sponsored by nine Colorado universities, will be held on March 1 in the Morgan Library Event Hall at CSU.
The focus of this year’s event, being held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is “Open Access in Tenure and Promotion.” The summit will consist of two virtual panels featuring renowned scholars from the U.S. and Canada, followed by local discussions at the nine participating Colorado institutions, including CSU.
The first panel features CSU’s own Patrick Burns, dean of libraries and vice president of information technology, and will be a general discussion of challenges within the tenure and promotion process. This panel will focus on evaluation of scholarly and creative output, with particular attention paid to disincentives built into the T&P process and challenges in evaluating multidisciplinary and non-traditional scholarship.
The second panel will explore the topics of equity, prestige and quality of scholarship, with particular focus on the effect of open access on these areas of T&P evaluation."
Disney lobbies Congress to change copyright laws; The Highlander, University of California Riverside, February 12, 2019
Robert Gold, University of California Riverside; Disney lobbies Congress to change copyright laws
"Copyright law is a tedious topic but it affects people in their daily lives."
"Copyright law is a tedious topic but it affects people in their daily lives."
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