Bangkok--11 Sep--Asian Institute of Technology
With 7,000 patents filed every year in Thailand, and the average time to grant a patent being 12.7 years, Intellectual Property (IP) rights still has a long way to go in the country. These were some of the thoughts shared by Mr. Franck Fougere, Managing Director, Ananda Intellectual Property Ltd., who delivered a talk on "Intellectual Property Strategies and Sharing of Best Practices" at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) on 7 September 2015.
Speaking on IP strategies for universities, Franck remarked that 80 per cent of IP is about strategy and it clearly overrides legal issues. He highlighted the dilemma of researchers who want to publish their research results vis-a-vis getting a patent for their work. Since publication puts research in the public domain, this often dampens the chances of their work being patented once a research paper has been published. In such cases, a sound IP strategy is required which can adequately measure the benefits of each move.
Franck, who is former President of the Franco-Thai Chamber of Commerce (FTCC), and has also taught at AIT, also offered other options available for IP protection. These include contracts, non-disclosure agreements, employment agreements, licensing and partnership agreements, he added. He also spoke of new developments such as sound trademarks and the impact of 3D printing.
Dr. Orakanoke Phanraksa, Manager, Intellectual Property Policy Group,Technology Management Center, National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), highlighted the structure of the technology licensing office at her agency. This includes three teams working on IP Management, IP Business and IP Policy. Chalalai Sutton, Licensing Consultant, NSTDA, spoke about licensing practice at NSTDA.
The speakers were welcomed by AIT's Vice President for Research, Prof. Kanchana Kanchanasut, who stressed the need for universities and research organizations to focus on commercial markets so that they can make a bigger impact.