Patent, Trademark and Copyright Research Foundation

http://www.ptcforum.org/

PRESENT

The PTC, under its broader charter to involve academia and the technological and business communities as well as legal practitioners, continues its tradition of highly interdisciplinary conferences and associated research activities.

Three current research projects of the PTC that have been suggested by industry and the bar as currently most relevant:

1. A thorough study of the experience abroad with so-called "prior-use" systems, to be correlated with currently advanced concepts underlying the present "harmonization" deliberations and proposed legislation.
2. A study of the historical use of juries in patent cases and the development of equity jurisdiction emphasis in to the twentieth century.
3. A study of the prospects of a revised type of "patent of importation" or "revalidation patent", particularly tailored as a temporary and adjunct Patent of Economic Development and Technology Transfer (PEDATT) for African and other developing countries, as a possible incentive for faster and more productive select industry expansion of benefit to both those with the technology and the transferee.

As part of a philosophy in a shrinking world, FPLC and its PTC are making aggressive efforts to:

1. familiarize business people, lawyers and government offices from the U.S. and other countries on how the U.S. system of intellectual property protection works and how it compares with other such systems in the world;
2. apprise individuals from our economic competitors of the importance of adequate protection of intellectual property; and
3. train persons in government and business sectors of developing countries in the principles of technology transfer and about the economic harm which comes from counterfeiting and piracy.

PACT Program

As a result of these efforts, resources have been developed that are being applied to a patenting-licensing-technology transfer program called PACT (Promotion of Advanced Commercial Technology). PACT is administered by the Academy of Applied Science for the mutual benefit of the Law Center and the Academy.

The National Inventors Council

When President Nixon dissolved the private-government National Inventors Council (NIC), the Academy was again instrumental in securing its transfer to the Law Center and the Academy. PACT became a natural outgrowth of the NIC as part of its activities, particularly as it has come to aid not only Chinese universities and ministries in protecting and licensing or otherwise commercializing upon their inventions and technologies, hopefully with American companies, but also faculty and graduate students of American and United Kingdom universities, as well - and an occasional independent inventor or small company.

The contacts and joint activities developed in PACT are also significantly enriching the mission of the PTC Research Foundation, providing patenting and licensing "laboratory" experience for our students.

PAST | FUTURE