Please stop spamming the lis mailing lists - we all know you exist.

It may come as a surprise but there are some of us who see IPR as not
necessarily a good thing. In some cases it makes our work as information
professionals much more difficult.

John Smith,
University of Kent at Canterbury.

On Fri, 16 Jun 2000, Alexander Weir wrote:

> Q. Are you creative?
> Q. Do you have ideas?
> Q. Do you intend to develop these into a product or service?
>
> If you can answer YES to these questions then you must protect your
> Intellectual Property (IP).
>
> The protection of this IP should be a priority.
>
> In order to survive in business/research today you must:
>
> Ø Avoid Research & Development duplication
> Ø Identify your competitors
> Ø Survey the current technology
> Ø Plan strategically
>
> To achieve this cost effectively use the Intellectual Property Rights
> Helpdesk.
>
> www.cordis.lu/ipr-helpdesk
>
> Established in October 1998 by the European Commission the IPR-Helpdesk
> is the central reference point for IPR enquiries throughout the European
> Union, to help protect your Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).
>
> The IPR-Helpdesk has three main tasks:
>
> 1. To offer advice and assistance with IPR matters related to
> EU-supported research projects.
> 2. To put callers in touch, where necessary, with appropriate advisors
> or services.
> 3. To promote awareness about the importance of Intellectual Property
> Rights in Europe.
>
> This valuable resource is the single point of contact for innovators,
> and is particularly directed at participants in EU-supported research
> and development projects.
>
> How do we do this?
>
> To help achieve its tasks, the IPR-Helpdesk uses two main communication
> channels:
>
> The IPR-Helpdesk Website - www.cordis.lu/ipr-helpdesk
>
> The website provides a wealth of information for visitors from a wide
> variety of backgrounds. In addition it is multilingual, and easily
> accessible even to those with limited computer facilities. Visitors can
> go directly to the relevant information on intellectual property in
> Europe. This is especially useful for those with minimal knowledge of
> IPR issues. The site is also an invaluable resource for those who need
> more details on patent issues. The IPR-Helpdesk site is constantly
> updated and improved.
>
> The Legal Helpline - [log in to unmask]
>
> The Helpline is a service provided free-of-charge for anyone but
> especially for persons engaged in EU RTD activities. Once registered,
> users can make enquiries by telephone, fax or email. Where required,
> the IPR-Helpdesk legal team will provide a written response in any EU
> language. The team of legal experts is on-hand to deal with your IP
> queries at any stage of an RTD project. Potential RTD contractors can
> also make use of the service, to help resolve any problems they may have
> regarding the bidding process in relation to IP. Among the issues they
> are happy to provide assistance or information on, are questions related
> to the following: European Commission contracts, consortium agreements,
> how to use esp@cenet, licensing agreements, general patent strategies.
> Once you have registered with the IPR-Helpdesk, our legal team is able
> to take your call on +352 47 1 11 11. This service is informative,
> rather than advisory. The Helpline will always suggest seeking
> professional advice and will not attempt to replace the services
> available from patent offices, patent agents, and lawyers.
>
> The IPR-Helpdesk your single point of contact for all questions on
> Intellectual Property Rights.
>
> The IPR-Helpdesk provides FREE IP support to individuals and companies
> involved in innovation, research and development throughout Europe.
>
> During the first twenty months of the project the legal team assisted
> thousands of registrants with specific IP related problems. The type of
> assistance provided ranged from impartial advice on how:
>
> Ø Existing RTD contractors can find ways to exploit their research and
> development work.
> Ø Potential contractors require assistance with understanding the New
> Model Contract (further details of which are available on our web site
> and later in this document)
> Ø Future contractors and other interested parties require information on
> how to prepare bids under the FP5 guidelines.
>
> Why IPR-Helpdesk?
>
> Whatever your status the basic rules are the same:
>
> Ø Avoid duplication in Research and Development
> Ø Plan strategically for the future
> Ø Survey state of the art technology
> Ø Monitor the competition
> Ø Locate sources of potential funding
> Ø Identify opportunities
>
> The IPR-Helpdesk has the means to resolve issues for you, FREE, fast and
> effectively.
>
> Ø With legal experts who speak your language
> Ø Specialists trained in resolving your project issues
> Ø Staff to guide you through any difficulties
> Ø Comprehensive and user friendly portal access to an extensive range of
> internet resources on the World Wide Web.
>
> www.cordis.lu/ipr-helpdesk
>
> Visitors to the website find multilingual information covering all
> aspects of IPR.
>
> Ø FREE access to national information pages of all EU member states
> Ø Practical information about IPR & Innovation in your country and in
> your language
> Ø Tutorials on FP5 and Patent searching
> Ø IP Lexicon in English, French & German.
> Ø esp@cenet access to 30 million Patent documents
> Ø IP links - to more than 1,000 sources
> Ø IP FAQ - Q&A's from our legal team
> Ø The New Model Contract and how to interpret it
> Ø IP Statistics - A hint about IPR practice in Europe
> Ø IPR Guide - Comprehensive IPR information on Patents, Trade Marks etc
> Ø IP Events - Conferences and Seminars
> Ø IP-Wire - Newsletter dealing with the latest IP news from around the
> world
>
> Whatever your background, whether it is academic or business, research
> or development, the IPR-Helpdesk is your primary source of FREE
> information and advice.
>
> If you want to have the latest news and developments from the IP world
> delivered FREE to you desktop, then choose IP-Wire. This monthly
> publication examines the issues in Europe and beyond, to bring you the
> highlights of the month, from the Courts, from the business community,
> the European Commission and the academic world. Read the IP News that
> matters. IP-Wire is another FREE service from the IPR-Helpdesk. For a
> free subscription send an e-mail to [log in to unmask]
>
> The IPR-Helpdesk staff are waiting to provide you with practical and
> relevant help to guide you through your dealings with the European
> Commission and IP issues.
>
> The IPR-Helpdesk staff have produced a CD-ROM which is FREE and contains
> a complete off-line version of our multilingual website, with all our
> tutorials and guides including the laypersons guide to the esp@cenet
> service and a video presentation of our services.
>
> To order your FREE copy send an e-mail to [log in to unmask]
>
> Please use our email service for a fast and efficient response to your
> enquiries:
>
> [log in to unmask]
>




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