The 2009 ASHS Annual Conference

Objective(s):
To discuss trends in protecting and licensing IP at different public and private institutions. To examine current trends in the use of utility patents. To provide an overview of open source approaches to technology development.

Many people consider materials covered by intellectual property rights to be unavilable for use. In reality, use is often covered by various types of licensing agreements. Such agreements may be have broad or narrow scopes. It is important to stay informed about the types of licensing agreements that are in use and what are the pro's and con's of each.  Some groups are exploring other options, such as public-private partnerships and open sourcing. What are the details of these options? Who are using them and how effective are these programs?  There are observations that patents are difficult to get at the moment. What may be the causes for this?