Christian Soltmann: Catalogue data in Autumn Semester 2016

Name	Dr. Christian Soltmann
Address	Europäisches Patentamt Postgasse 8 1010 Wien AUSTRIA
Telephone	+431521261333
E-mail	christian.soltmann@gess.ethz.ch
Department	Humanities, Social and Political Sciences
Relationship	Lecturer

Number	Title	ECTS	Hours	Lecturers
851-0738-01L	The Role of Intellectual Property in Daily Routine: A Practical Introduction Particularly suitable for students of D-BAUG, D-ITET, D-MAVT	2 credits	2V	C. Soltmann
Abstract	The lecture gives an overview of the fundamental aspects of intellectual property, which plays an important role in the daily routine of engineers. The lecture aims to make participants aware of the various methods of protection and to put them in a position to use this knowledge in the workplace.
Learning objective	In recent years, knowledge about intellectual property has become increasingly important for engineers. Both in production and distribution and in research and development, engineers are increasingly being confronted with questions concerning the patenting of technical inventions and the use of patent information. The lecture will acquaint students with practical aspects of intellectual property and enable them to use the acquired knowledge in their future professional life. Topics covered during the lecture will include: - The importance of innovation in industrialised countries - An overview of the different forms of intellectual property - The protection of technical inventions and how to safeguard their commercialisation - Patents as a source of technical and business information - Practical aspects of intellectual property in day-to-day research, at the workplace and for the formation of start-ups. Case studies will illustrate and deepen the topics addressed during the lecture. The seminar will comprise practical exercises on how to use and search patent information. Basic knowledge of how to read and evaluate patent documents as well as how to use publicly available patent databases to obtain the required patent information will also be provided.
Prerequisites / Notice	The lecture is in particular tailored to the needs of the following degree programs: Agricultural science, architecture, civil engineering, computational science and engineering, computer science, electrical engineering and information technology, environmental engineering, geomatic engineering and planning, interdisciplinary sciences, materials science, mathematics, mechanical engineering, physics. For students of chemistry-related degree programs, the lecture 'Protecting inventions in chemistry' (851-0738-03) will be offered in the autumn semester.
851-0738-03L	Protecting Inventions in Chemistry Particularly suitable for students of D-CHAB	2 credits	2V	C. Soltmann
Abstract	The lecture gives students of chemistry-related degree programs an overview of the options to protect inventions and the underlying research efforts. The lecture aims to put the participants in a position to use this know-how in the workplace.
Learning objective	Research and development play an important role in chemistry-related technology sectors such as inorganic and organic chemistry or pharmacy. Investments in the development of new substances and active components in these sectors are traditionally secured by patents because publicly known inventions, generally chemical substances, may easily be reproduced by others. In the last years, the know-how about intellectual property has become increasingly important for chemists and engineers. Both in the production process and in the distribution sector, chemists and engineers are increasingly being confronted with questions concerning the patenting of technical inventions and the use of patent information. As more than three-quarters of all publicly available technical information are available only in patents, it is more and more important for researchers and engineers to be capable of extracting relevant information from the flood of patents. Patents are not only a powerful measure to protect investments and inventions in chemistry-related sectors but also an important source of information about competitors and potential cooperation partners and about the development of markets. Accordingly, the know-how about patents and patent information has become a key qualification on the strategic level in companies and in the research sector. The seminar is customised to the needs of chemists and students of related degree programs. Participants will become familiar with practice-oriented aspects of intellectual property and will be enabled to use the acquired knowledge in their future professional life. Topics covered during the lecture will include: - The importance of innovation in industrialised countries - An overview of the different forms of intellectual property - The protection of technical inventions and how to safeguard their commercialisation - Patents as a source of technical and business information - Practical aspects of intellectual property in day-to-day research, at the workplace and for the formation of start-ups - Special aspects of protecting inventions in chemistry-related sectors, e.g. polymorphs and inventions in the field of nanotechnology. Case studies will illustrate and deepen the topics addressed during the lecture. The seminar will comprise practical exercises on how to use and search patent information. Basic knowledge of how to read and evaluate patent documents as well as how to use publicly available patent databases to obtain the required patent information will also be provided.
Prerequisites / Notice	The lecture is coordinated in particular to the needs of the following degree programs: Agricultural science, biotechnology, chemical engineering, chemistry, food science, pharmaceutical sciences. For engineering and physics students, the lecture 'The Role of Intellectual Property in daily routine: A Practical Introduction' (851-0738-01) will be offered in the autumn semester.