851-0738-03L Protecting Inventions in Chemistry
| Semester | Autumn Semester 2017 |
| Lecturers | C. Soltmann |
| Periodicity | yearly recurring course |
| Language of instruction | German |
| Comment | Particularly suitable for students of D-CHAB |
| 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. |