World IP Day

Better late than never, here are details of the display put together by Duncan and myself for World IP Day on Saturday 26th April. We decided that the display should contain items that not only exemplify IPR, but are also linked in some way to Birmingham. We felt that this might encourage users to take a look and also enforce the idea that IPR are in everything we use.

Subsequently we used the Hudson whistle (police and football) and the rollerskate as examples of patents originating in Birmingham. We were fortunate enough to receive 3 19th Century whistles for the duration of the exhibition from Hudsons; we also provided copies of the original patent document for both of these inventions. To exemplify copyright, we exhibited an original vinyl copy of Duran Duran's first album alongside a copy of Jonathan Coe's 'The Rotters Club' and 'Nice Work' by David Lodge. Trade marks were covered by Birds Custard and Brylcreem; whilst we used the Austin Mini as evidence of unregistered design right.

All of the artifacts were supported by information on their history and also IPR. The display was in a prominent public area for one week.

Matthew
Birmingham Central Library

Birmingham Business and Innovation day

Hello all,

We are hosting a Business and Innovation day here in Birmingham on Saturday June 21st. We have enlisted several external I.P. professionals to deliver talks on subjects that we are a little less knowledgable on. The programme is as follows:

10am-11am Commercial Market Research for Inventors Giovanni Balli
(AutoGlobal Business Network)
11am-12pm Research and Development Alan Williams
(AutoGlobal Business Network)
Lunch
1pm-2pm Identify and Exploit IPR Laurie
Heizler
(Wright Hassell)

These workshops will be followed by a Q+A session with successful local
inventors. There will be no charge for this event.

If anybody deals with an enquiry relating to the above and the client is able to get to Birmingham for the event, then please direct them to us. Alternatively they can contact either myself or Duncan on 0121 303 4538.

Best Regards,

Matthew Jelfs
Creative Insight

WIPO PCT-SAFE Software

Hello all,

Our first blog from Birmingham (thanks Chris!). A user has recently requested whether we can install electronic filing software for WO patents from the WIPO website http://www.wipo.int/pct-safe/en/index.html . Although I see no real problem with this, I am wondering whether any fellow Patlib's have used the sofware and what their experience has been.

Many thanks,

Matthew

Plymouth "Meet the Inventors" event

Meet the Inventors and Cracking Ideas

To celebrate World Intellectual Property Day on 26 April, Plymouth PatLib UK held two events in the Central Library on Wednesday 23 April.

Pupils from Holy Cross, a local primary school, came to the Children’s Library to learn about Cracking Ideas – a competition run by the Intellectual Property Office. 9-11 year olds are invited to think up inventions and so learn about the importance of protecting their ideas.

The pupils were a very enthusiastic and enterprising group and took great interest in some whacky patents and in the much more practical products brought along by our other group of visitors from two local inventors clubs.

Members of the South West Inventors Club and the Wadebridge and Cornwall Inventors Club came to our Meet the Inventors event in the Central Library. In order to encourage interest in innovation and to demystify the world of intellectual property, the public were invited to have a chat and refreshments with the inventors to discover the dos and don’ts of developing ideas and getting them out into the world. There was a steady flow of visitors who showed great interest in the whole process from idea to market.

We look forward to building on these relationships and to more activities in the future to build regional interest in innovation.

Diana Bale

Plymouth PATLIB announces.....The One Stop Ideas Shop

ON-LINE PATENT CHECKS AT FREE ONE STOP IDEAS SHOP

Specialist information and guidance on protecting a business idea or product is on offer at the University of Plymouth’s Formation Zone – and experienced researchers will even check patents online with you.

Formation Zone - the exciting and innovative facility for artistic and creative business start-ups - is staging a series of One Stop Ideas Shop events bringing together the necessary expertise that can help businesses guard against intellectual property theft and learn how to go about getting a patent.

The events are open to anyone, not just from the artistic and creative sector and include the chance to talk through ideas in a confidential setting, receive guidance about how to protect those ideas and also to find out if there is potential for a business opportunity.

They are a brand new opportunity for individuals and businesses in the South West to receive support and guidance from experts in the field including PATLIB UK, whose staff will be on hand to offer assisted patent, trade mark or design searches online

Experts from the University of Plymouth, Business Link, NJ Akers & Co Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys and Tamar Science Park will also be available at the One Stop Ideas Shop
The events will be held in Formation Zone at the University of Plymouth on the following dates:

· Monday 19th May 4-7pm
· Thursday 3rd July 4-7pm
· Monday 15th September 4-7pm.

Mari Revill Plymouth PATLIB 2.05.08

Searchable UK Official Journal

From the end of May the British Library's annual cumulative card
index of British patent applications announced in the official journal,
arranged by applicant, will no longer be updated.

This is because the new Searchable Patents Journal online at
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/patent/p-journal/p-pj
allows searching of UK application announcements by applicant or
title over the entire period since the commencement of the Searchable
Journal (beginning of this year).

The current card index for the last five years will remain available to
readers here but will no longer be updated.

(Note for those unaware of the subject: in the UK brief title and
applicant details for patent applications are announced in the official
journal within five weeks of the application being filed, regardless of
whether it is likely to be actually published as a full A spec. This is
sometimes referred to as an A0 publication)

Philip Eagle BIPC