(127b) Strategic Inventing And The Need For Ip Education

Given an intellectual asset, such as a technological invention, the value of that asset will be highly dependent on the strategy with which it is protected. In particular, the best patent strategy includes both developing appropriate patent claims, and creating the right inventions. Importantly, inventions should flow from the patent strategy not only from research ? a concept foreign to many in both academia and industry. In order to maximize the value of technological developments, scientists and engineers need to understand the available means of protection. Unfortunately, few institutions include intellectual property topics as an area of emphasis. A recent survey of academic institutions found relatively little support for teaching intellectual property in engineering. Implications of the survey will be discussed, as well as a brief description of what engineers need to know to be highly effective in inventing and IAM.