Intellectual Property Working Group

Mike Henson has volunteered to lead the Intellectual Property Working Group.  If you are intrigued by the intersection of IP and blockchain, He would love to speak with you and welcomes any input from anyone on a strategic focus for the group.  He has put together some initial thoughts below and would appreciate any feedback.

From an educational standpoint, the IP Working Group could highlight the various types of intellectual property rights which exist (e.g., patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and open-source software initiatives) and how companies typically procure, monetize and enforce such rights.  More specifically, the group could bring to light various blockchain-related initiatives that government authorities  and/or the private sector can implement involving intellectual property, such as

(1) intercepting counterfeit and pirated goods;

(2) digital rights management to protect works of authorship;

(3) supply chain management as it relates to the delivery of intellectual property in a tamperproof manner;

(4) the various types of blockchain-related patents that are being granted throughout the world;

(5) the use of blockchain to create immutable records of  ownership and development of innovations for which IP protection might be sought; and

(6) how blockchain can be used to help streamline aspects of litigation or other adversarial proceedings. 

Another interesting use case the might be worth exploring is how governmental entities could utilize blockchain architectures to more effectively implement rewards programs for government employees who develop IP which is then patented, licensed or otherwise transferred to third parties.

Please contact Mike Henson if you would like to participate in the IP Working Group and help spearhead any of these efforts or others.