Course syllabus

Course-PM/guide

TEK350 Intellectual property and innovation strategies lp3 VT21 (7.5 hp)

Course is offered by the department of Technology Management and Economics

1. Contact details and participants

Examiner: Ulf Petrusson, University of Gothenburg (ulf.petrusson@law.gu.se)

Course leader: Christoffer Hermansson, University of Gothenburg (christoffer.hermansson@gu.se)

 

Lecturers and other participants

Mats Lundqvist, Chalmers

Anna Holmberg Borkmann, University of Gothenburg

Richard Furst, Wistrand Advokatbyrå

Filippa Plate, Konsert Strategy & IP

Tanya Praise Mangemba, Questel

 

2. Course purpose

The aim of the course is to provide students with a fundamental understanding of the critical role that intellectual assets and property play in commercial activities within the knowledge economy. The course puts particular emphasis on strategic management of technology through patents and other control mechanisms as a core means to create successful entrepreneurial start-ups and achieve competitive advantage in corporate settings.

 

3. Schedule

Date	Day	Time	Topic	Location	Lecturer
			Theme Week – Intro to Intellectual Property and Innovation Strategies
2021-01-19	Tuesday	09.00 - 09.45	Course introduction	Zoom	CH
		10.00 - 11.45	Introduction to Intellectual Property and Innovation Strategies	Zoom	CH
2021-01-20	Wednesday	08.00 - 09.45	Innovation and Entrepreneurship	Zoom	ML
2021-01-22	Friday	08.00 - 08.45	Intro to IPIS Case work	Zoom	Orbit
2021-01-22	Friday	09.00 - 10.00	Webinar Orbit	Zoom	Orbit
		10.00 - 11.45	Business driven IP strategy	Zoom	Konsert
			Theme Week - Patents and Innovation
2021-01-26	Tuesday	09.00 - 11.45	Patent law basics and trade secrets	Zoom	CH
2021-01-27	Wednesday	08.00 - 08.45	Patent Information as a Tool for Business Intelligence	Zoom	CH
		08.45 - 10.00	IPIS consultations/case work	Zoom	CH
2021-01-29	Friday	09.00 - 11.45	Patent exercises	Zoom	CH
			Theme Week – Copyright and Knowledge information
2021-02-02	Tuesday	09.00 - 11.45	Copyright basics	Zoom	RF
2021-02-03	Wednesday	08.00 - 09.45	IIPIS consultations/case work	Zoom	CH
2021-02-05	Friday	09.00 - 11.45	Copyright exercises	Zoom	CH
			Theme Week - Brands and branding strategies
2021-02-09	Tuesday	08.00 - 09.45	Trademark basics	Zoom	AHB
		10.00 - 11.45	Design rights basics	Zoom	AHB
2021-02-10	Wednesday	08.00 - 09.45	IPIS consultations/case work	Zoom	CH
2021-02-12	Friday	09.00 - 11.45	Trademark exercises	Zoom	AHB
			Theme Week – open innovation
2021-02-16	Tuesday	09.00 - 11.45	Strategic management and utilization of IP/IPRs in open innovation	Zoom	CH
2021-02-17	Wednesday	08.00 - 09.45	Product design	Zoom	ML
2021-02-19	Friday	08.00 - 11.45	IPS case work	Zoom	TBD
			Theme Week – IP Strategy and Knowledge Based Business Development
2021-02-23	Tuesday	08.00 - 11.45	Degunkification seminar	Zoom	CH
2021-02-24	Wednesday	08.00 - 09.45	IPIS consultations/case work	Zoom	CH
2021-02-26	Friday	08.00 - 11.45	IP and brand based business models	Zoom	AHB/CH
			Theme Week – Contracts and Knowledge Based Business Development
2021-03-02	Tuesday	09.00 - 11.45	IP driven business and contracts	Zoom	CH
2021-03-03	Wednesday	08.00 - 09.45	IPIS case work/consultations	Zoom	CH
2021-03-05	Friday	08.00 - 11.45	IPIS case presentation	Zoom	CH
			Theme Week – Summing up
2021-03-09	Tuesday	09.00 - 11.45	Summing up exercises	Zoom	CH
2021-03-10	Wednesday	08.00 - 09.45	Self study	Zoom	TBD
2021-03-12	Friday	08.00 - 11.45	Self study	Zoom	CH
2021-03-19		08.30 - 12.30	Exam
2021-06-10		08.30 - 12.30	Re-exam 1
2021-08-27		14.00 - 18.00	Re-exam 2

 

4. Course literature

1. Spence, Michael - Intellectual Property, 2007 (non-Swedish speaking students)
2. Levin, Marianne - Lärobok i immaterialrätt, 2019/12^th edition (Swedish speaking students)
3. Various - The Compendium of Legal Acts
4. Various - Collection of articles presented on the course platform

The Compendium of Legal Acts can be bought at Cremona. Books can be bought on the Internet.

 

5. Course design

The aim of the course is to provide students with a fundamental understanding of the critical role that intellectual assets and property play in commercial activities within the knowledge economy. The course puts particular emphasis on strategic management of technology through patents and other control mechanisms as a core means to create successful entrepreneurial start-ups and achieve competitive advantage in corporate settings within various technology areas, including a particular emphasis on how bio-related companies can use these strategically important assets to achieve a competitive advantage.

The course gives a general overview of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) as a tool and building block to build sustainable technology based innovations, and how to manage IPRs as a strategic asset in organizational and business strategic development. In the course students learn the basics regarding when and how IPR protection can be claimed based on the status of current Intellectual Assets (IAs), and how patent information and documentation can be used for monitoring technological, competitive and market developments. Finally the course also focuses on the commercialization of IPRs, including licensing of technology and bioscience based innovations.

The course consists of lectures, group work and a series of exercises/seminars. Attendance at the exercises is mandatory.

 

6. Changes made since the last occasion

Course materials including exercises have been updated to correspond current technology and market trends.

 

7. Learning objectives and syllabus

Learning objectives:

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to): ·        Demonstrate ability to define and interpret the concepts of intellectual assets and property in relation to innovation and business strategy from a legal, management and technology context including ethics and sustainable development. ·        Demonstrate knowledge regarding the relevance and scope of different mechanisms for controlling intellectual assets and property, such as patents, trademark rights, copyrights, design rights, and secrecy. ·        Use and apply the concepts of intellectual property to business constructions in order to formulate and successfully express intellectual property-based strategies based on choosing and using appropriate intellectual property protection; making strategic choices as to how and when to obtain protection, enforce protection and evaluate the protection of others (and act accordingly); and on evaluating and creating licensing strategies and other value creation mechanisms to leverage the value in intellectual property. ·        Demonstrate ability to functionally and creatively utilize their knowledge of legal constructions in combination with their awareness of knowledge-based business development to perform an intellectual asset and property analysis to support strategic innovation and business decisions

Link to the syllabus on Studieportalen Chalmers. (https://www.student.chalmers.se/sp/course?course_id=28906 (Links to an external site.))

 

8. Examination form

Examination Activities	Points	Group/Individual	Learning objectives
Patent Exercise/seminar	Pass/fail	Individual	TEK350 – 1,2
Copyright Exercise/seminar	Pass/fail	Individual	TEK350 – 1,2,3
Trademark and Design Rights Exercise/seminar	Pass/fail	Individual	TEK350 – 1,2,
Degunkification Exercise/seminar  (Deadline hand-in 23rd of Feb 17.00)	Pass/fail	Individual	TEK350 – 3,4
IPIS Case report (Deadline 5th of March at 08.00)	0-5pp	Group	TEK350 – 2,3,4
Written Exam	0-20pp	Individual	TEK350 – 1,2,3,4
MAXIMUM TOTAL SUM OF POINTS	25p

 

Written Exam

The written exam takes place at the end of the course and is the main form of examination. The purpose of the exam is for the student to demonstrate familiarity with, knowledge of and understanding of key components in the course and the literature. The exam contains questions relating to classes, literature as well as key take-aways from the assignments. Re-takes are offered according to schedule.

Assignments

The course contains one main group assignment (case report) and a number of smaller exercises/seminars (see below). Details relating to the assignments (content as well as how they are assessed) are published as the course progresses. Your individual understanding of the assignment can also be assessed as part of the written exam. Missing an assignment result in a supplementary assignment according to teacher´s instruction in close connection to the original examination

Exercises/seminars

The exercises/seminars are case-based training in relation to the theoretical lectures where the students get to train and discuss in groups to develop their skills and tools. The exercises are tied to the weekly themes throughout the course. The exercises also contribute to the learning progression by increasing the complexity in relation creating, establishing and executing intellectual property strategies. If absent an written supplementary shall be sent to course leader before the written exam.

Plagiarism

All work handed in for examination must have been produced by the ones claiming to have produced the work. Written hand-ins is scanned through the ‘URKUND’ plagiarism check. By submitting an assignment for grading you acknowledge that you have read and understood the rules regarding plagiarism and its consequences.

 

9. Grading

Grading TEK350

The final grade for the course TEK350 is determined based on the total sum of points earned as described in figure

Grading for specific course elements is as follows:

The grade for the Written exam is determined by using the following scale:

0 – 7,5pp           = U/F

8 - 11,5pp         = 3

12 - 15,5pp       = 4

16 - 20pp          = 5

The grade for the IPIS case work is determined by using the following scale:

0 – 1,5pp           = U/F

2- 2,5pp             = 3

3- 3,5pp             = 4

4 - 5pp               = 5

 

The final grade for the course is determined by using the following scale:

Total sum of points                   Grade

0 - 9,5pp                                        = U/F

10 - 14,5pp                                  = 3

15 - 19,5pp                                  = 4

20 - 25pp                                      = 5

The minimal requirement to pass the course is Pass on all of the examination activities presented in figure 1. The final grade is further determined by the points earned in the IPIS case report and Written Exam summing up to a total sum of points.