Precursor: A note on the value of personal networks
Anatole Krattiger is a self-defined “vege-quarian” and a firm believer in GM-organics. We first met at an IP workshop that he led at Cornell in 2001 (an excellent opportunity for a wide-eyed, idealistic, burgeoning academic). The following year, Anatole served as a Keynote at the ABIC conference held in Saskatoon. Anatole is a great scholar, passionate activist, kind man and a good friend… I regret that our connections have weakened over the past few years. But we both have busy lives. Anatole travels extensively and he is involved in many activities (editor-in-chief of Innovation Strategy Today and a member of the editorial boards of the International Journal of Biotechnology and the International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialization to name a few). One of Anatole’s many distractions was the compilation and editing of the Intellectual Property Management Handbook of Best Practices. http://www.iphandbook.org/index.html
The IP Handbook (made possible with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Kauffman Foundation) is a massive piece of work – two volumes and 2000+ pages with contributions from over 200 academics, practitioners and experts worldwide. This IP Handbook is an editorial feat. The editors invite – no, ENCOURAGE – you to access the book; use it, copy it, share it, to reproduce it freely! (one review of the book can be found here: http://www.iphandbook.org/bookreview/LESHandbookReview.pdf). It was through my personal / professional connection with Anatole that I was given the opportunity to contribute to this massive work (details and shameless self-promotion below).
“Wiki-Rogue” (my term)
The Intellectual Property Management Handbook of Best Practices website has gone “wiki-rogue” and now includes “User Comments” & Content Upload Features. Other major expansions to the website have also been launched with a special new feature which will ensure the content is up-to-date, relevant and constantly expanded to include the latest developments.
- For each topic or chapter, users and authors alike can include comments and upload additional resources related to each topic/chapter, including PDF files and weblinks.
- This special feature should make the ipHandbook grow and become a lively and relevant place where recently developments and expanded content is readily available.
Other important features of the ipHandbook website include:
- Special video presentations, downloadable with synchronized slides
- An exclusive list of distance learning courses
- for regular updates. Keep on following us on Twitter.
- RSS Feeds on selected pages.
- Improved navigation with pull-down menus.
- Integrated translation with 31 chapters fully translated into Vietnamese by PIPRA.
- IImproved search functions; better navigation with pull-down menus; continuing content sharing under a Creative Commons license; an updated and expanded Resources section; a vibrant blog on current IP topics
Now for some shameless self-promotion
Another colleague and good friend of mine, Dr. Peter Phillips, and I collaborated on two Chapters in this IP ‘tome’ that revolve around the (nebulous, yet fascinating) notion of ‘clusters’ as tools for economic development, in particular those with an agriculture focus. I pull a couple of key observations/excerpts from these two chapters:
The Role of Clusters in Driving Innovation http://www.iphandbook.org/handbook/ch03/p11/
“…the increasing complexity and fragmentation of knowledge and IP rights in the biotechnology sector suggests there likely is no single center that can effectively develop new biotechnologies or applications. Networking and partnerships are going to be the order of the day.”
Building Research Clusters: Exploring Public Policy Options for Supporting Regional Innovation http://www.iphandbook.org/handbook/ch03/p14/
“…while clusters are attractive economic development tools, they must be nurtured with an appreciation for their partial and incomplete nature. Fundamentally, they are part of a global innovation system, and cannot thrive if cut off from the lifeblood of the system—ideas, skilled labor, capital, and competing and collaborating companies and organizations.”
Ryan & Phillips. The Role of Clusters in Driving Innovation http://www.iphandbook.org/handbook/ch03/p11/
Ryan & Phillips. Building Research Clusters: Exploring Public Policy Options for Supporting Regional Innovation http://www.iphandbook.org/handbook/ch03/p14/
