Failure does happen, and failing is a natural human experience that anyone who fails should not be daunted from trying again— and again.
Photo © USC-ITSO
Meanwhile, the BIP Asia Forum underscores the role of IP in securing societal interests. The Forum enunciates that IP enforcement— while the need to protect the rights of IP owners is incontestable— should not necessarily overstep or eclipse societal interests. Rather, a development-oriented IP enforcement initiatives direct protection and enforcement of IP rights to“ contributing to the promotion of technological innovation and to the transfer and dissemination of technology, to the mutual advantage of producers and users of technological knowledge in a manner conducive to social and economic welfare...”, as articulated in No. 45 of the 45 Adopted Recommendations in the World Intellectual Property Organization( WIPO) Agenda.
The Forum offers insights that may be relevant to the goals and operations of an ITSO. One, universities should be aggressive in crystallizing and taking advantage of the results of their research, which will necessitate the crafting of a workable invention disclosure mechanism to enable the ITSO to capitalize on the findings of their research studies. Two, the need to be industry-friendly is crucial. A technology will have good chances of zooming off to commercialization if there is a ready industry to receive and use it. This means that technology creators or inventors should have a healthy connection— or relationship— with the industry to help them hasten their efforts at commercializing their technology. Three, in the case of the MIT, they prefer payment schemes that benefit everyone who has stakes to the commercialized technology, instead of a fixed paid-up price. The MIT also picks big companies for strategic investors over venture capitalists, yet they may choose the latter whenever they need quick funds to bankroll their technology generating research agenda.
The Forum is designed as a“ platform linking IP owners, buyers and sellers, R & D professionals, finance and legal intermediaries, design and technology practitioners from around the world to discuss the latest trends in the IP market, and networking to explore opportunities.” Topics at the Forum were 1) Exploitation of IP rights in Business, Technology Transfer and Licensing; 2) IP Monetization and Intellectual Capital Management; 3) Best Practices on IP Worldwide Exchange Platforms; and 4) Tips for SMEs to Succeed in a Knowledge-Base Economy. The Forum aimed to 1) enhance the knowledge of the participant on trends relating to IP and technology transfer and licensing; 2) provide an opportunity for networking with IP experts, IP owners, buyers and sellers, and R & D professionals from around the world.
Moreover, the IP Asia Exchange( AsiaIPEX) was launched at the Forum, a free online trading platform and database that helps facilitate international IP trade connection to global IP players. AsiaIPEX can be accessed at www. asiaipex. com.
The Documentation, Information, and Technology Transfer Bureau represented the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines( IPOPHL) in that Forum. •
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