Thursday, August 25, 2011

Innovative Products by Steve Jobs

Today is the day after Steve Jobs resign as CEO of Apple. Steve Jobs is credited as an innovator that changed not only the computing industry, but music, video and phone industry. This is a list of his contribution:
- Apple II computer; a computer with a case, keyboard and monitor.
- Macintosh; a computer with graphical user interface.
- Toy Story movie; a computer animated movie.
- iMac computer; a computer and monitor sharing an aesthetic case.
- iPod music player
- iTunes music store; an online store that sells music, video and software
- iPhone cell phone
- iPad tablet computer
The above mentioned brands became best selling products and the mere mention of the brand is enough to identify the products. However, the brand may one day become a generic word if it is not used with the product noun. Remember the fate of sellotape?

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

周派吉:要迈向高收入国 大马须拥更多知识产权

马来西亚知识产权会(MIPA)主席周派吉说,拥有更多的知识产权,是我国迈向高收入国的条件之一。

他说,目前,每年在我国注册的专利权约2000至3000,只有300至400可能是马来西亚的专利权。

无论如何,周派吉指我国保护知识产权的法令相当高水准。

无形资产

周派吉接受《南洋商报》的访问时指出知识产权是无形的资产,它不是一块土地或一间工厂,而是一种发明或创造力。

他说,过去,用来衡量经济的是工厂的数量和所拥有的土地,如今应该把这些有形的资产,转为无形的知识产权。

他举例,30年前的日本经济,70%为有形资产,知识产权只占区区30%。

“如今已掉转过来,即70%为无形的知识产权,及30%的有形资产。

“这到底是工厂,还是知识产权拥有人重要呢?”

马来西亚知识产权会目前拥有160名会员,举凡对知识产权有兴趣者,都可加入该协会。

该协会的宗旨包括促进知识产权及工业物权法执业律师之间的关系,及推动马来西亚和亚洲区域在这两方面的保护和发展。

周派吉谈到侵权问题时说,这方面的执法很重要,因为如果外国专利权频受到侵犯,将影响到我国的外资。

他说,同样的,如果本地知识产权不受保护,就不会有发表和创作。南洋商报

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Google's patent play: US$12.5bil for Motorola Mobility


Google is spending $12.5 billion to buy Motorola Mobility. But the big prize isn't Motorola's lineup of cellphones, computer tablets and cable set-top boxes.

It is Motorola's more than 17,000 patents - a crucial weapon in an intellectual arms race with Apple, Microsoft and Oracle to gain more control over the increasingly lucrative market for smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices.

If approved by federal regulators, the deal announced Monday could also trigger more multibillion-dollar buyouts. Nokia Corp., another cellphone manufacturer, and Research In Motion Ltd., which makes the BlackBerry, loom as prime targets.

The patents would help Google defend Android, its operating system for mobile devices, against a litany of lawsuits alleging that Google and its partners pilfered the innovations of other companies.

In addition to the existing trove of patents that attracted Google's interest, Motorola, which introduced its first cellphone nearly 30 years ago, has 7,500 others awaiting approval.

Phone makers and software companies are engaged in all-out combat over patents for mobile devices. The tussle has been egged on by the U.S. patent system, which makes it possible to patent any number of phone features.

Patents can cover the smallest detail, such as the way icons are positioned on a smartphone's screen. Companies can own intellectual-property rights to the finger swipes that allow you to switch between applications or scroll through displayed text.

Apple, for example, has patented the way an application expands to fill the screen when its icon is tapped. The maker of the iPhone sued Taiwan's HTC Corp. because it makes Android phones that employ a similar visual gimmick.

The iPhone's success triggered the patent showdown. Apple's handset revolutionized the way people interact with phones and led to copycat attempts, most of which relied on the free Android software that Google introduced in 2008.

Android revolves around open-source coding that can be tweaked to suit the needs of different vendors. That flexibility and Android's growing popularity have fueled the legal attacks. About 550,000 devices running the software are activated each day.

Many upstart manufacturers, like HTC, had only small patent portfolios of their own, leaving them vulnerable to Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp.

Getting Motorola's patents would allow Google to offer legal cover for HTC and dozens of other device makers, including Samsung Electronics Co., that depend on Android.

The deal is by far the largest Google has pursued in its 13-year history. Motorola Mobility's price tag exceeds the combined $10.2 billion that the company has paid for 136 previous acquisitions since going public in 2004, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Buying Motorola also would push Google into phone and computer tablet manufacturing, competing with other device makers who rely on Android. The largest makers of Android devices are all supporting a deal that Google CEO Larry Page said was too tempting to resist.

"With mobility increasingly taking center stage in the computing revolution, the combination with Motorola is an extremely important step in Google's continuing evolution," Page told analysts in a conference call Monday.

Google pounced on Motorola less than two months after a group including Apple and Microsoft paid $4.5 billion for 6,000 patents owned by Nortel, a bankrupt Canadian maker of telecommunications equipment. -AP

Friday, August 5, 2011

Invitation to Wealth Creation

Received an invitation from AIM (Agensi Inovasi Malaysia):

INVITATION TO THE WEALTH CREATION FACTORY

Dear Sir/Ms/Mdm,
We would like to invite you to join our next Wealth Creation Factory by registering at www.wealthcreation.my

What is the Wealth Creation Factory?

• It's about finding innovations that you can benefit from and helping you commercialise them

• A process for helping you overcome commercialisation obstacles and bring new products to market

• A way for you to make money from university and research institute innovations

• A fast-track approach to get things moving

• It’s free and open to all companies, entrepreneurs and organisations


Why?

• The commercialisation process is tough:

– It takes time

– It takes money

– It takes patience

• The Wealth Creation Factory can

– Speed up the process

– Clear up the regulatory and structural issues

– Help you access funding

– Find the innovations that can help your business grow


The Process

Registration of Interest
• Browse www.wealthcreation.my to find innovations that interest you

• Click the “I’m interested” tab to register your interest

• Wait to receive an invitation to Stage 1

• Remember, it is completely free to participate in the Wealth Creation Factory



Wealth Creation Team
Agensi Inovasi Malaysia (AIM)
Office of the Prime Minister