`Policies fostering the participation of business in technology

'Policies fostering the participation of
business in technology transfer'
Peer review
World Intellectual Property Organization
Committee on Development and
Intellectual Property (CDIP)
Geneva, February 17, 2015
Nikolaus Thumm
Senior Fellow
Joint Research Centre, European Commission
Seville/Spain
27 February 2015
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Challenges for IP
open, collaborative innovation asks for
• easy access to IP
• timely, simple procedures
• high presumption of validity of IP rights
new business models focus on
• branding
• customer relation
• first-mover-advantage
• lock-in
• combinations of open and proprietary models
new technologies/innovation processes might demand
• alternative forms of protection (license of right, shorter/longer IP terms, sui
generis systems)
• enlarged public domain: e.g. for basic research tools, interoperability standards
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IP Policy Options
•
•
•
•
•
•
Increase transparency, reduce complexity and costs
Ensuring quality/validity of granted patents
Improving efficiency
Steering applicant's behaviour
SME and University support
Harmonisation of IP systems
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Significance of small and medium sized
enterprises (SMEs)
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4
Supporting SMEs and Universities
No. of
SMEs
Policy
?
Innocent
non-users
Professional
users
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Knowledge about, use of IP protection
5
Important factors for technology transfer
•
•
•
•
•
access to real know-how from source companies (often
"Trade secrets")
suitably skilled staff
scientific infrastructure
favourable market conditions
finance
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CCMT licensing with DCs (EPO 2011)
'When your organization is making a decision whether or not to enter into a licensing
or cooperative development agreement with a party in a developing country, to what
extent would the following factors positively affect your assessment?'
50%
Not a factor
A basic precondition
45%
Significantly attractive condition
40%
44%
Compelling reason
42%
37% 37%
35%
28% 29%
30%
25%
20%
18%
16%
13%
15%
27%
26%
25%
13%
14%
15%
16%
10%
5%
0%
Protection of intellectual
property rights
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Scientific capabilities,
infrastructure and human
capital
Favourable market conditions
Favourable investment
climate
7
Licensing
(EPO/OECD survey 2007)
20% of European patent owners license out
Firm size: licensing activity U-shaped
Companies from Nordic countries and UK license out more
Motives for licensing out patents:
1. Earning revenue
2. Entering into cross licensing deals
3. Stop others from infringing your patents
4. Sharing technology with other companies
Obstacles to licensing:
24% of patenting firms are willing to but not able to license
Difficulty in finding licensing partners
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
Contact:
Nikolaus Thumm
[email protected]
27 February 2015
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