What is it about?
Most Academics forget that Industry typically keeps most of their technical and business information secret, in the form of Trade Secrets. When Industry does reveal technical information, it is typically via patents, and they only rarely go ahead to publish in peer-reviewed publications. As a result, many Academics have very little understanding of Industrial perspectives, inventions, and technologies. This article is "practical" introduction to help early-phase Academic researchers understand the importance of Trade Secrets, and Patents. The article provides plain English language guidance as to how to find and read patents, so as to be able to separate the technical information from all the patent legalese, and how and when Academics should consider preparing their own patent applications.
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Why is it important?
This basic introduction to Trade Secrets and Patents can help early-phase Academic researchers to identify and understand some of Industry's perspectives, technologies, and as yet unsolved problems of interest in Industry. Understanding Industrial perspectives and technologies can sometimes be a springboard toward initiating complementary (and sometimes Nobel Prize-winning Academic research.
Perspectives
The author was a practicing industrial research chemist for over 10 years, and an inventor of the BHC Ibuprofen process invention that was one of the earliest "Green Chemical" inventions and won one of the earliest Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards. The author then went to Law School to become a Patent Attorney, and practiced Patent / Intellectual Property law for over 20 years in the Chemistry / Pharmaceutical / Nanotechnology areas, working with both Academic and Industrial inventors, and therefore has a genuine understanding of many practical technical, legal, and business issues and factors that need to be considered before new "Green" inventions can be commercialized, and therefore actually impact and improve the Environment.
Dr. Mark A Murphy
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A Practical Introduction to Patents and Trade Secrets for Green Scientists and Engineers, January 2024, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-443-15742-4.00069-7.
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