Technological Design

Technological DesignLesson 4

Class ActivityStudents, working in pairs, will write a one-sentence analysis of the following quote.

Imagination is more important than knowledge. Albert Einstein

Intellectual propertyWhat do you think it mean by the phrase, intellectual property?

Intellectual Property (IP)Intellectual property (IP) is an umbrella term for various legal entitlements that attach to certain names, written and recorded media, and inventions.The holders of these legal entitlements may exercise various exclusive rights in relation to the subject matter of the IP.

IPThe term intellectual property reflects the idea that this subject matter is the product of the mind or the intellect.

The term implies that intellectual works are analogous to physical property and is consequently a matter of some controversy.

IP and EinsteinAlbert Einsteins preference for imagination over knowledge is a starting point, because IP is based on the power of imagination.

IP and Einstein Cont.Einstein understood that IP is the ability to stand on an existing foundation of accepted knowledge, and yet see beyond to the next frontier of discovery that is the source of personal, cultural, and economic advancement.

Class ActivityThink for a minute about the relationship between Intellectual Property and economic well-being of a nation.

Economic well-beingThe economic well-being of a nation is sometimes expressed in terms of Gross National Product or Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

GDPThe GDP of a country is defined as the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period of time.

CopyrightCopyright is the area of the law that provides protection to original works of authorship such as books, paintings, architecture, musical compositions, and computer software.

Legal ProtectionThe legal protection afforded such works permits the development and flourishing of cultural industries, as well as technology-oriented businesses based on computer software and other technologies.

ExampleAn indication of the amount of invention and innovation going on in a county is the number of patent applications.

GraphStudents will speculate on why the scale of the vertical axis is not linear.

Graph ExplainedFor many years, economists have tried to provide an explanation as to why some economies grow fast while others do not; in other words, why some countries are rich and others poor

Knowledge and InventionsIt is generally agreed that knowledge and inventions have played an important role in recent economic growth.Economists suggest that the accumulation of knowledge is the driving force behind economic growth.

R&DFor countries to promote growth, their economic policies should encourage investment in new Research and Development (R&D) and subsidize programs that develop human capital.

PatentsPatents can stimulate economic development in four ways:a. Patent information facilitates technology transfer and foreign direct investment.b. Patents encourage research and development at universities and research centers.c. Patents are catalysts of new technologies and businesses.d. Businesses accumulate patents and engage in licensing, joint ventures, and other revenue-generating transactions based on such assets.

Technology TransferTechnology transfer (spin-offs) occurs when a new user applies an existing innovation developed for one purpose in a different function.

Aerospace composite materials, for example, were used to design an advanced wheelchair that proved to be lightweight and easy to maneuver.

Technology Transfer SharingThe transfer of technology from one society to another can cause cultural, social, economic, and political changes affecting both societies to varying degrees.

Sharing methods to increase food production and preservation can alter a countys living habits in significant ways

Class QuestionWhat is a patent?

AnswerA patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention, which is a product or a process that provides a new way of doing something or offers a new technical solution to a problem.

Class QuestionWhat does a patent do?

AnswerA patent provides protection for the invention to the owner of the patent. The protection is granted for a limited period, generally 20 years.

Class QuestionWhat kind of protection does a patent offer?

AnswerPatent protection means that the invention cannot be commercially made, used, distributed or sold without the patent owners consent.These patent rights are usually enforced in a court, which, in most systems, holds he authority to stop patent infringement. Conversely, a court can also declare a patent invalid upon a successful challenge by a third party.

Class QuestionWhat rights does a patent owner have?

AnswerA patent owner has the right to decide who mayor may notuse the patented invention for the period in which the invention is protected. The patent owner may give permission to, or license, other parties to use the invention on mutually agreed terms.

Answer Cont.The owner may also sell the right to the invention to someone else, who will then become the new owner of the patent. Once a patent expires, the protection ends, and an invention enters the public domain; that is, the owner no longer holds exclusive rights to the invention, which becomes available to commercial exploitation by others.

What does all this mean?To sum it up, the purpose of a patent is to safeguard the investment of the inventor or creator and to give credit where and when it is due.