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Intellectual property—The Foundation of Innovation: A scientist's guide to intellectual property
Author(s) -
Poticha David,
Duncan Mark W.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of mass spectrometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.475
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9888
pISSN - 1076-5174
DOI - 10.1002/jms.4220
Subject(s) - intellectual property , service (business) , business , product (mathematics) , work (physics) , process (computing) , value (mathematics) , investment (military) , marketing , computer science , law , engineering , political science , politics , mechanical engineering , geometry , mathematics , machine learning , operating system
Sometimes scientific research not only advances our understanding of the world in which we live, but it also leads to the development of products and services that change the way we live. The translation of a scientific idea into a viable business opportunity is, however, much more than a technical or simple financial challenge. Intellectual property (IP) considerations are central to the process and often the critical factor in determining whether a newly developed product or service can successfully make it to market. Researchers and company founders should be aware of the potential value of their work, know how to protect their interests, and be familiar with the rules and practices that govern the process and strategies for protecting inventions and utilizing all forms of IP. IP rights were developed to cultivate innovation, protect creative work, identify or brand businesses and their products and services, and to encourage investment in scientific discovery for the good of society. In reality, however, the IP process is daunting and opaque to many scientists. In this month's feature article, David Poticha, the Director of the Legal Department at Biodesix, a proprietary technology‐based diagnostics company in Boulder, Colorado and a lawyer with experience in academia, law firms and industry, teams up Mark Duncan, Co‐Editor, Special Features, to discuss and teach what IP is and its central role in the conversion of good science into tangible products and services. The authors discuss when, how and why scientists need to secure and protect their IP, and why having an IP strategy is crucial for anyone who is trying to leverage their IP. They also discuss other important legal issues scientist/inventors should be aware of regarding their rights relating to commercialization of IP, employment obligations relating to IP, consulting and collaboration.