Technology Acquisition and Development Assistance
Acquiring university technology
The Situation
A small business, Acquisitive Inc., that manufactured a niche hardware product
used in commercial and industrial buildings, identified an emerging technology
that was available from a university which would enhance the value of its
products.
The Challenge
In order for Acquisitive to obtain access to this technology so that it could
be effectively employed, it was necessary both to negotiate a license for
the technology and to engage the university professors to undertake additional
technology development.
The Solution
In order to provide business guidance to its client, Vertex first gained a
full appreciation of the technology ownership situation. This included:
- gaining a clearer understanding of the intellectual property ownership policy between the university and the professors,
- understanding the potential ownership claims of graduate students to the inventions, and
- determining the patent application assignment status.
Secondly, it was necessary to gain an appreciation for the specific elements of the research that needed to be developed in order to create technology applicable to Acquisitive's business.
The Result
Acquisitive was able to effectively navigate through many complex and contentious
intellectual property ownership issues and determine what needed to be developed
to meet its business needs.
