intellectual property issues in high-tech business cleo 2002 – long beach, ca may 21, 2002...
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Intellectual Property Issues in High-Tech Business CLEO 2002 – Long Beach, CA May 21, 2002
Copyright 2002 Joseph E. Gortych. All rights reserved
Joseph E. Gortych Schwegman, Lundberg, Woessner & Kluth, P.A.
Minneapolis, MN(www.slwk.com)
IP Basics
An idea or intellectual creation that is granted the same characteristics as physical property: Exclusive ownership Sell, lease, buy
Where does IP come from? Adam Smith, “The Wealth of
Nations” Innovation begins with the workers
closest to the things being worked on “A great part of the machines made use
of in those manufactures in which labor is subdivided, were originally the inventions of common workmen…”
United States IP Basis US Constitution
Article I, section 8:“Congress shall have power … to
promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries.”
Main IP Categories
Patents Trade secrets Copyright Trademarks
Patents U.S. Constitution: one sentence
35 USC (United States Code) Hundreds of sections
37 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) Many hundreds of sections
Manual of Patent Examination Procedures
Not the law, but law-based procedures Thousands of sections
What a patent is FOR To prevent others from using the
invention claimed in the patent “using”= making, using, selling,
importing “claimed” = staked out legal turf
What a patent IS A legal document Presumed valid Property (like real estate) A product Opportunity Roadblock
What a patent is NOT A guarantee A license to coin money A technical paper A blue print The finish line Free Fun to read
Patent Requirements
Invention must be: New Useful Statutory subject matter Non-obvious
Statutory Subject Matter: Utility: “any new and useful
process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof…”
Design: new, original, ornamental design for an article of manufacture
Plant: distinct new variety
“That’s Obvious!” “Obvious”
Lay definition: “readily apparent” Entirely subjective
Obviousness – Legal def’n One of ordinary skill in the art Combined references or reference
+ General knowledge References must suggest combination
Must be likelihood of success No undue experimentation
Non-Obviousness Secondary Considerations
Long-felt need Commercial success Failure of others Copying by others
Obviousness
Legaldef’n
Lay def’n
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IP in High-Tech High-tech industries are brain-
power (“intellectual”) industries
High tech industries must protect their brain-power-derived “property,” or it will be “taken”
Changing Nature of IP Today, patents are PRODUCTS
Produced (mass-produced) Bought Sold (assigned) Leased (licensed)
Revenue Generation
Texas Instruments: 50% of its profits
$1 billion deal w/Hyundai IBM: $1 billion/yr
Most patents issued/yr Stanford University
$60 million in royalties in 1998
Main High-Tech IP Issues Patenting IP Management IP Strategy IP-Related Agreements Commercial Use of Inventions Product / Trademark Clearances Corporate IP Education
Patenting
Patenting Issues Which inventions should be
patented? What type of application to file? How much will it cost? Should I seek foreign patents?
Options re: Inventions Protect as trade secret Publicly disclose (e.g., publish) Patent Use it and do nothing Don’t use it and do nothing
Invention Notebooks
Why keep an invention notebook? U.S. System is “first to invent” May be able to “swear behind” prior
art to show “constructive reduction to practice”
Proof of inventorship Interference proceedings
Invention Notebooks
Suggested requirements Bound pages Entries in ink Inventor: sign and date Witnesses
Read and understood Sign and date
Invention Notebooks Entries should be
In sufficient detail to show conception of invention
Readable, organized In INK Free of erasures (cross-out and initial) Not stored in a computer No unfortunate legal admissions
Invention Disclosures Key to documenting inventions Engineers/scientist must be taught
how to quickly prepare and submit Should be able to write up in 1 HOUR Disclosure form should not elicit
potentially damaging information E.g., the kind that can be used in court
against the company
Patent Applications Two basic types:
Provisional Non-provisional
Patent Applications Provisional application
Utility only (apparatus, methods…) Inexpensive ($150/$75) Informal Must convert to non-provisional < 1yr. No claims needed Not examined Secures filing date Must satisfy enablement requirement
Provisional Application When to use?
Unsure of need for patent Lack of funds Tight deadline Need to test market Need to establish earliest possible
filing date Impress Wall Street
What does a patent cost? Legal fees for application: $5-$20K Legal fees for processing: $500 USPTO fees: $2K filing, $2K issue Office actions: $2-$4K * (n) Maintenance fees: 3.3K total
@ 3.5, 7.5 and 11.5 yrs
What does a patent cost? Bottom line: $13-$30K/patent
Budget $20K per patent More for software patents
It is an ongoing expense Doesn’t include inventor time Foreign patents: Much more
expensive
Patent Validity / Enforceability Conventional wisdom:
1/3 of all patents invalid / unenforceable
Prior art obviousness On-sale bar Public use/Commercial advantage Lack of enablement / “written
description”
Trade Secrets
Trade Secrets Requirements
Any subject matter Inventions, recipes, processes, info,…
Commercial value or advantage Maintained secret w/ “reasonable
efforts”
When to use Trade Secret Unpatentable subject matter Patent too costly Not easily reversed engineered Fast-moving technology (< 3 yrs) Slow-moving technology (> 20yrs)
Duration: as long as it is kept secret
Trade Secret Protection “Just Do It” : no registration, govt.
fees,… Use “reasonable efforts”
Maintain TS register Mark TS info as TS/confidential Restrict employee access Confidential disclosure to 3rd parties Employee agreements, exit interviews
Copyright
U.S. Constitution: Art. 1, sec. 8, cl. 8 “original works of
authorship…”
Copyright Protection available where work is:
Original Fixed in a tangible medium of
expression Authorship is established
Key: only form of expression protectable
Copyright A copyright arises upon creation of
work Marking the work with © Federal registration
Needed to bring a copyright lawsuit Duration
Author’s life + 50 years Works for hire: 75 years
Copyright Areas of interest for high-tech
company Computer programs Manuals Advertisements Promotional materials Trade show/customer presentations Web page
Trademarks Definition: word/symbol
identifying: Source of goods = Trademark Source of services = Service mark
Trademarks Spectrum of distinctiveness
Generic terms (e.g., “paper”) Descriptive terms (e.g., “cleaner”) Suggestive terms (e.g., “renuzit”) Fanciful or arbitrary terms (e.g.,
“Kodak”) Level of protection increases from
generic to fanciful/arbitrary
Trademarks Usage = “common law” [ ]TM, [ ]SM
State Registration [ ]TM, [ ]SM
Federal Registration [ ]®
Trademarks Duration
As long as mark is used and is distinctive
E.g.: Coke, Arm and Hammer, … Infringement
“Confusingly similar” Same/similar channels of trade
IP Agreements
Types of Agreements Employee Assignment of IP Confidentiality
CDA, NDA Licensing
Patents Technology
Employee Assignment of IP Agreement assigns rights to all
inventions, ideas, etc. to company Should be standard procedure for
HR Dept.
Employee Assignment of IP If no IP assignment agreement,
who owns the IP the employee develops? Answer: the Employee!
Company has a “shop right,” I.e, non-exclusive, royalty-free right to use invention
Employee can license to others, including competitors of company
Confidentiality Agreements
Contractual framework for exchanging confidential information
Enables discussion in anticipation of a transaction
Prevents public disclosure
Confidentiality Agreements Include:
Definition of “Information” Information to exclude Permitted use of the Information Permitted disclosees Conditions, procedures for disclosure Efforts for maintaining confidentiality Term of agreement
Confidentiality Agreements “Information” to exclude: that
which: Already is/becomes public Already is in RP’s* possession Is disclosed to RP by third party RP develops independently Is required by law to be disclosed
*RP = Receiving Party
Confidentiality Agreements Key issues
People involved in the exchange of information must know the terms of the agreement!
Stick to the terms of the agreement
License Agreements An agreement that allows a party
to make, use, or sell a product based on an invention or technology owned by another, in exchange for a fee Not an assignment, which conveys
ownership
Licensing Agreements
Patent Covers specific patents
Technology Covers select information
Trade secrets Know how
License Agreements
Cost to obtain $2K - $7K for a good agreement dealing with
fairly complex technology Not a good idea to negotiate, draft pro
se Sophisticated companies know all the
licensing tricks Subtle points can come back to haunt if not
careful in negotiating agreement
Patent Licensing No confidentiality clause needed Watch for patent misuse (antitrust)
Tying to non-licensed product purchases
Paying $$ after patent expires Define product being sold Know half-life of patented
technology
Patent Licensing Royalty base factors
Definitions are KEY Gross or net selling price
Low for widgets: 0.5%-2% High for hot products: 7%-10% Typical: 2%-5% per units “sold”
If licensor: sold = $ invoiced If licensee: sold = $ collected
Technology Licensing Key sections
Definition of technology involved Deliverables Confidentiality Payment terms Term of agreement Exclusivity
Licensing Key Points If joint development
Specify rights to inventions, patents, info.
Keep good records Disagreements often arise between
companies over ownership of jointly developed IP
Licensing Key Points If sharing information with others
Do it in WRITING! Get commitments re: # sales, min.
royalty,… Keep good records
Licensing Key Points Licenses are crafted; not just
“forms” License is designed to protect
party/parties if deal goes south Want to avoid litigation over terms Know your bargaining position
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