“Few people outside of the innovation ecosystem understand the value of intellectual property,” reports Forbes in an article out this week, “Who is Intellectual Property For? Inside the Movement to Make IP Democratic.”
Despite having made strides in recent years, lack of intellectual property education is widespread among every type of educational institution, K through 12, university and even the elite U.S. graduate business schools.
This void facilitates an information imbalance in the creator communities – those responsible for patented inventions, copyrighted content, brands and trade secrets – as well as among educators, students, future business executives and investors.
IP Defined vs. Used
Part of this problem “stems from the disconnect between how intellectual property is defined and how it actually functions [in the real world],” writes author Stephen Key, an inventor and entrepreneur who has written on innovation for many business publications, including Inc. and Entrepreneur. What IP means for the economy, global competitiveness and jobs needs to be put into focus.
The Forbes piece cites IPCloseUp and other information sources.
Rising to the Challenge
Key says three organizations have recently risen to the challenge of demystifying intellectual property, situating it within an entrepreneurial context, and expanding our understanding of who is considered a creator and how they should be treated.
- The Center for Intellectual Property Understanding (CIPU)
- The Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property
- The Smithsonian Institution’s Lemelson Center
Forbes states: “[A] leader in the effort to make the innovation ecosystem more democratic and inclusive is the non-profit Center for Intellectual Property Understanding.”
“If inventors and creators of intellectual property were
more successful overall, there would be a lot more of them“
“The more I learn about how IP rights function in business and society, the more I realize how relevant they are to leveling the playing field,” says Bruce Berman, chairman and co-founder of CIPU. “Successful companies should not see this as a threat,”
“Inventors don’t invent to get rich, but they’d certainly like to make a living doing what fulfills them,” concludes Key.
“Intellectual property ownership has a specific role to play in supporting agents of change. If inventors and creators of intellectual property were more successful overall, there would be a lot more of them.”
Tap here to read the full Forbes article.
Image source: zambianguardian.com
ipcloseup.com 