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Is there an engineer in the house? Australia's IP future.

When I go to a party alone and the host finds out I'm a lawyer I often hear: Oh, so and so over there is a lawyer, let me introduce you to her. My fantasy is to reply with this: Thank you. But is there an engineer in the house? You see, the work of engineers inspires me. Engineers create intellectual property (IP). Sadly the kudos, social status and money too often go to others, at least in Anglo-Saxon countries. We are pondering this theme as Australia's 2020 ideas summit approaches - http://www.australia2020.gov.au (http://www.australia2020.gov.au/). We seek an escalator to the future, better still a road and a road map. Engineers can build IP roads and road maps to the future. They deal with substantive IP. Their work can invent or create a market. In contrast most people in business, including often we IP lawyers, work with merely late stage representational IP. We merely paste IP law decoration or packaging onto products or services, eg by making a brand a registered trade mark. This rarely creates new markets. It's not blue ocean strategy.

Full post as published by Lightbulb IP blog on March 10, 2008 (boomark / email).