Many jurisdictions, including the European Patent Office (EPO), have opposition proceedings in which an interested third party can challenge the validity of the claims of an issued patent. The United States Congress is considering legislation that would introduce opposition proceedings in the USA. This paper reviews the existing EPO and proposed…

Because of their special mission, colleges and universities have unique patent concerns that warrant detailed exploration, particularly regarding ownership of patent rights on inventions developed on campus under federal contracts and grants. Rights and concerns of the inventor, the university, and financial sponsors are outlined. (Author/LBH)

Outlines the Commission of the European Community's policy and actions for the dissemination and exploitation of the results of its research and technological development programs. Technology transfer as a basic ingredient for innovation is discussed, and the importance of understanding intellectual property protection is stressed. (Contains seven…

Specific reference is made in the Constitution of the United States to the need for protection of intellectual property rights. Later, Madison explored the problem again in the "Federalist" and in a letter to Thomas Jefferson. The present-day argument against protection of these individual rights is not directed against the government's…

Higher education policies must be based on considerations of the conditions of knowledge in society: knowledge as distinct from science, traditions, knowledge and power, and schools as institutions of knowledge. Science represents only some of the traditions forming Western culture, as has been learned from Sweden's experience with higher…

Intended as a guide for university administrators, this manual discusses programs to help faculty members in the recognition of inventions and to increase the flow of their disclosure. The benefits of patenting are outlined and it is suggested that these benefits provide justification for initiating a program to increase disclosures. Important…

Some authorities on technolgoy transfer feel that industry is not fully capitalizing on the inventive output of universities and nonprofit organizations. From the point of view of the government, the stakes are high. The magnitude of federal support of research and development in these organizations demands evidence of useful results if it is to…