29 August 2012
CREATIVE BARCODE and BLUE PENCIL call upon Intellectual Property (IP) law firms, IP strategists, Universities, IP & innovation intermediaries to support the launch of an IP Innovation Fund.
Blue Pencil, the magazine and website dedicated to the explanation and analysis of legal and commercial issues specific to the creative industries has joined forces with digital IP protection innovator Creative Barcode endorsed by the World Intellectual Property Organisation, to launch a not for profit IP Innovation Fund. The IP Innovation Fund is set-up to focus on the development of affordable ‘early-stage’ IP protection solutions for the creative industries, lone inventors, innovators, students, graduates and micro-sized firms.
The aim of the IP Innovation Fund is to develop mechanisms that open up innovation and creativity in order to evoke a more positive attitude towards IP.
The IP Innovation Fund will establish a collaborative budget to be utilised to reduce the cost and complexity of protecting pre-commercialised concepts and to develop mechanisms that make clear to Internet users, the rights reserved in completed works displayed on and offline.
Creative Barcode and Blue Pencil extend an invitation to the legal, IP and innovation intermediary communities to join the IP Innovation Fund in order to get involved in collaborative innovation within their own sectors as well as influence less complex and easier IP entry points for the creative industries and broader based micro and SME business sectors, Universities and their students.
The Creative Barcode mechanism is in its own right a new, quick and easy IPR identifier, fit for the digital age. It got a small mention in the Hoopers final report on IP licensing and reform. Creative Barcode mechanisms are designed to protect innovation and creative concepts, as well as to reduce the cost and complexity of some areas of digital rights management. Creative Barcode is endorsed by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) which provides dispute resolution and mediation services to its members. The IP Innovation Fund will enable its unique achievements to be built upon and expanded into additional online Digital Rights Management and potentially registry and licensing mechanisms.
Julian Wilkins, Editor Blue Pencil and consultant Creative Industries Lawyer with Davenport LLP states “if the entry level into intellectual property becomes faster and easier, students, individuals and start-up firms will be better positioned to benefit from their IP created at the outset, through to and beyond commercialisation”.
The legal profession has avidly followed the UK Prime-Ministerial led review of Intellectual Property since the Hargreaves review was announced in November 2010 and many 100’s have contributed to the calls for evidence.
Government is now seeking non-complex industry-led solutions to address the significant issues highlighted throughout the reviews. However, neither short nor longer terms solutions will emerge without innovation, finance and collective action.
If the IP legal sector unites to support and become part of non-complex digital solutions, they will benefit from being involved in innovation to complement existing mechanisms that many have declared no longer fit for purpose in the digital age.
The IP Innovation Fund will provide the legal & IP profession with a shared and collective opportunity to assist intellectual property enter into a more positive environment and introduce first step, affordable, non-complex IP mechanisms for creators, students and start-up firms.
Maxine Horn, CEO Creative Barcode comments “It is argued that IP vulnerabilities can restrict innovation. This is particularly true within creative industries where pre-commercialised concepts are not protected under traditional IP mechanisms and where it is often difficult to obtain non-disclosure agreements before a safe conversation can even take place”.
In the case of completed works such as illustration, photography, written word, video and film, the Internet has opened up the opportunity to showcase work; but has also caused immense confusion between free to access and view and free to download, where commercial use often requires permission and payment of license fees.
The IP Innovation Fund will be used to seek to address IP issues for the benefit of both the individual rights holders and the rights users.
The Fund will be utilised to implement a series of easy to use robust tools accessible to innovators and Creators of all type, worldwide.
Such tools may include a front-end index and registry, identifier, visual search applications and easy licensing mechanisms.
An IP Innovation Fund will enable the legal & IP profession and others to:
• Open up innovation, not restrict it.
• Enable ‘safe’ conversations to take place between innovators and corporate firms.
• Create more ethical and equitable conduct towards respecting the value of professionally produced innovation concepts.
• Reduce the time, cost and complexity of digital rights management.
• Assist rights users in both business and consumer communities to easily understand when something is free to use and when it requires permission or payment.
Authenticating, indexing, registering and protecting Innovative and creative works, both pre-commercialised and commercialised at the outset, should assist easier, faster and more cost efficient legal resolution to any breach arising. Numerous IP consultations amongst creative industries and micro-firms have cited the cost and complexity of enforcement as one of the biggest barriers to using IP mechanisms and pursuing breech of rights. The David & Goliath scenario looms large in creative industries, amongst lone inventors and micro-sized firms. The IP Innovation Fund needs to be utilised to focus squarely on addressing these issues in a positive, non-complex and cost efficient manner.
IP Innovation Fund Management
An accessible fund management team will monitor progress and communicate transparently via a short summary delivered to all supporters on a monthly basis.
The management team will be headed up by Julian Wilkins, Blue Pencil and Maxine Horn, Creative Barcode who will be joined by four representatives selected from the member organisations.
For further information and details on how to participate contact
Maxine Horn
CEO
Creative Barcode
m. j.horn@creativebarcode.com
M 07803 297150
www.linkedin.com/in/maxinejhorn
6 Blenheim Place
Brighton BN1 4AE
www.creativebarcode.com
T 01273 906067
Twitter @creativebarcode
LinkedIn Group
www.linkedin.com
Group Name Creative Barcode
www.facebook.com/creativebarcode
Julian Wilkins
Editor
Blue Pencil
julian.wilkins@bluepencilset.com
M 07747 621643
Room 241, Main Admin Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Road
Iver Heath, Bucks
SL0 0NH
www.bluepencilset.com
Twitter @bluepencilset
Julian Wilkins / Maxine Horn
Creative Barcode / Blue Pencil
UK
www.creativebarcode.com
