This Data Processing Agreement (“DPA”) is entered into between Patsnap (UK) Ltd, on behalf of itself and its affiliates, an entity incorporated in the United Kingdom having offices at Building 3 Chiswick Business Park, 566 Chiswick High Road, London, England, W4 5YA (“Patsnap”), and the undersigned entity (“Customer”). This DPA is effective on the date that the applicable Agreement has been duly executed by both parties. In signing this DPA, Customer enters into this DPA on behalf of itself and, to the extent required by Data Protection Law, its affiliates. Capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in Section 1.

HOW THIS DPA APPLIES

This DPA is only valid and legally binding if the Customer is: (a) a party to an Agreement subject to which Patsnap is a data Processor or Controller of Personal Data for the purposes of GDPR and/or a Service Provider for the purposes of CCPA; and (b) a data Controller to which Article 3 of GDPR applies, or a Business for the purposes of CCPA. This DPA forms part of such Agreement. If multiple Agreements exist between the parties, a separate instance of this DPA shall apply with respect to each Agreement.

1. DEFINITIONS

“Agreement” means any agreement between Patsnap and the Customer or between the Customer and a Patsnap-authorized partner under which Products are provided by Patsnap and/or a Patsnap-authorized partner to the extent Patsnap is Processing Personal Data un[der such agreement between Customer and such Patsnap-authorized partner.

“CCPA” means the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018.

“Controller”, “Data Subject”, “Personal Data”, “Process”, “Processing”, “Processor”, and “Supervisory Authority” have the same meanings as in GDPR. “Business” and “Service Provider” shall have the same meanings as in CCPA.

“Customer Personal Data” means Personal Data that is uploaded to a Product, the Platform and/or submitted or otherwise made available to Patsnap by Customer and Processed by Patsnap and/or its Sub-processors (as hereinafter defined) for the purposes of providing the Products to Customer, with the exception of the Personal Data described in section 2.4(b).

“Data Protection Law” means GDPR, UK GDPR, CCPA, Data Protection Act 2018, any and all applicable national data protection laws and regulations, and any and all laws and regulations of the European Union and/or the European Economic Area the (“EEA”) or elsewhere, to the extent applicable to the Processing of Personal Data under the Agreement, as amended or replaced from time to time.

“GDPR” means the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the Processing of Personal Data and on the free movement of such data.

“Personal Data Breach” means a breach of security leading to the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorized disclosure of, or access to, Customer Personal Data Processed by Patsnap under this DPA.

“Platform” means Patsnap’s web application (web app) and Patsnap’s database, which is an organized collection of structured data stored electronically on a remote server and accessed through our web application. “Products” means the Patsnap services and products ordered, subscribed, or licensed by Customer in an Agreement, including software, technical support and professional services as set out in the applicable Agreement.

“Standard Contractual Clauses” or “Clauses” means the Standard Contractual Clauses based on the Commission Decision (EU) 2021/915 Standard Contractual Clauses or any such clauses amending, replacing or superseding those by a European Commission decision or by a decision made by any other authorized body.

“UK GDPR” means the GDPR as incorporated into the laws of the United Kingdom.

“UK IDTA” means the Standard Data Protection Clauses issued by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office under Section 119A(1) of the UK Data Protection Act 2018.

2. DATA PROCESSING

2.1 Roles of the Parties. The parties acknowledge and agree that with regard to the Processing of Customer Personal Data, Customer is the Controller and Patsnap is the Processor and that Patsnap will engage Processors or Sub-processors respectively pursuant to the requirements set forth in Section 4 below.

2.2 The parties acknowledge and agree that with regards to the Processing of other categories of Personal Data, Patsnap may be acting as an independent Controller of that Personal Data.

2.3 The term in Section 2.5 of this DPA shall apply to Patsnap’s Processing of Personal Data as both a Controller and Processor of Customer Personal Data. The terms in Sections 2.6 – 8 of this DPA shall only apply to Patsnap’s Processing of Customer Personal Data as Processor.

2.4 The parties agree that they shall comply with Data Protection Law as applicable to them in their roles which shall be construed as follows:

(a) Each Party shall be a Controller of Personal Data comprising the other Party’s business contact data required for managing the business relationship;

(b) Customer acknowledges that Patsnap is a Controller of user login credentials which are Processed in order to provide secure access to the Platform. In addition, with respect to any Personal Data already compromised in or accessible through the Platform (for example, names associated with patent filings), Patsnap has collected and compiled such data as an independent Controller; and

(c) Patsnap shall be the Processor and Customer shall be Controller of any Customer Personal Data.

2.5 Processing of Personal Data. Each Party shall Process Personal Data in connection with this Agreement in accordance in all material respects with the requirements of applicable Data Protection Law. In respect of Customer Personal Data, Customer shall have sole responsibility for the accuracy, quality and legality of such Personal Data and the means by which Customer acquired Personal Data and transferred such Personal Data to Patsnap.

2.6 Patsnap Processing of Customer Personal Data. As Customer’s Processor, Patsnap shall only Process Customer Personal Data for the following purposes: (a) Processing in accordance with the Agreement; (b)Processing initiated by Customer or its authorized users in their use of the Products; and (c) Processing to comply with other reasonable documented instructions of Customer (e.g. via email or via the support portal) that are consistent with the terms of the Agreement (individually and collectively the “Purpose”). Patsnap shall inform Customer immediately upon becoming aware that, in Patsnap’s opinion, an instruction provided by Customer violates applicable Data Protection Law.

2.7 Details of the Processing. The purpose, nature and subject matter of Processing of Customer Personal Data by Patsnap is described in the Purpose set out in Section 2.6. The duration of the Processing, the types/categories of Personal Data and the categories of Data Subjects Processed under this DPA are furher specified in Exhibit A (Details of the Processing) to this DPA.

3. RIGHTS OF DATA SUBJECTS

3.1 Patsnap shall, to the extent legally permitted, promptly notify Customer if Patsnap receives any requests from a Data Subject to exercise the following individual rights under Data Protection Law in relation to the Customer Personal Data it is Processing as Customer’s Processor:

(a) right of access;

(b) right to rectification;

(c) restriction of Processing;

(d) erasure;

(e) data portability;

(f) objection to the Processing; and

(g) right not to be subject to an automated individual decision making

(each a “Data Subject Request”), each only to the extent such individual rights apply to a Data Subject under applicable Data Protection Law. Taking into account the nature of the Processing, Patsnap will assist Customer insofar as such assistance is commercially reasonable for the fulfilment of Customer’s obligation to respond to a Data Subject Request. To the extent that Customer, in its use of the Products, does not have the ability to adequately address a Data Subject Request, Patsnap shall, upon Customer’s written request, provide commercially reasonable efforts to assist Customer in responding to such Data Subject Request, to the extent Patsnap is legally permitted to do so and the response to such Data Subject Request is required by applicable Data Protection Law. To the extent legally permitted, Customer shall be responsible for any cost arising from Patsnap’s provision of such assistance including costs or fees associated with the provision of additional functionality.

4 SUB-PROCESSORS

4.1 Use of Sub-processors. Customer acknowledges and agrees that Patsnap shall use third-party sub-contractors to Process Customer Personal Data in some circumstances to deliver services, which may include Patsnap’s affiliates (“Sub-processors”). Customer consents to Patsnap’s use of existing Sub-processors. Patsnap shall give notice of the appointment of any new Sub-processors to Customer with details of the Processing to be undertaken. Customer shall have 30 days of receipt of that notice to notify Patsnap in writing of any objections (on reasonable grounds) to the proposed appointment. Upon receipt of such notification, Parties shall work together towards a common and acceptable solution. For clarity, whenever Patsnap uses third-party sub-contractors to Process Customer Personal Data in some circumstances to deliver services,Patsnap shall limit its processing to fulfilling the Purposes set out in this DPA and to improve its Services, only, and commits to not sell, distribute or in any other way share Customer Personal Data with third parties.

4.2 Liability for Sub-processors.

Patsnap will:

(a) enter into a written agreement with any Sub-processor containing terms that are no less protective of Customer Personal Data than those contained in this DPA; and

(b) be liable for the acts and omissions of its Sub-processors to the same extent Patsnap would be liable if performing the services of each of those Sub-processors directly under the terms of this DPA.

5. SECURITY

Patsnap shall maintain appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect the security, confidentiality and integrity of Customer Personal Data against a Personal Data Breach as set forth in Exhibit B. Such measures will take into account the state of the art, the costs of implementation, and the nature, scope, context and purposes of Processing, as well as the risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons so as to ensure a level of security that is appropriate to the risk. Patsnap regularly monitors compliance with these technical and organizational measures and may amend them from time to time provided that Patsnap maintains at least an equivalent level of protection. Upon Customer’s written request, Patsnap will provide an updated description of Patsnap’s technical and organizational measures, to the extent applicable, in the form presented in Exhibit B. All Patsnap personnel who Process Customer Personal Data shall be adequately trained with respect to their data protection, security and confidentiality obligations, and shall be subject to written obligations to maintain confidentiality.

6. PERSONAL DATA INCIDENT MANAGEMENT AND NOTIFICATION

Patsnap shall notify the Customer promptly after confirming the occurrence of a Personal Data Breach relating to Customer Personal Data.(. Patsnap shall provide commercially reasonable cooperation and assistance in identifying the cause of the Personal Data Breach and take commercially reasonable actions to mitigate the effects of the Personal Data Breach and remediate the cause, to the extent such remediation is within Patsnap’s control. Except as required by applicable Data Protection Law, this shall not apply to Personal Data Breaches that are caused by Customer, Customer’s authorized users, and/or any products or services not provided by Patsnap.

7. RETURN AND DELETION OF CUSTOMER PERSONAL DATA

Upon termination of the Agreement, Patsnap shall delete the Customer Personal Data from its systems in accordance with the terms of that Agreement and at all times subject to applicable Data Protection Law. If immediate deletion is not possible (e.g. because some data is archived or stored in back up files), Patsnap shall ensure that no further Processing of such data takes place after termination of the Agreement and shall move it for full deletion as soon as possible, no later than 45 days following termination of the Agreement. Patsnap may maintain one copy of any Customer Personal Data which is required by law to be kept for the length of any applicable retention period, for example for the purposes of auditing financial records.

8. EU SPECIFIC PROVISIONS

8.1 Assistance. Patsnap will Process Customer Personal Data in accordance with GDPR requirements directly applicable to Patsnap’s provision of the Products sold, licensed or provided to Customer. Upon Customer’s written request, Patsnap shall provide Customer with commercially reasonable cooperation and assistance reasonably necessary to fulfil Customer’s obligation under GDPR to carry out:

(a) a data protection impact assessment related to Customer’s use of the Products; and

(b) a prior consultation to a Supervisory Authority, to the extent that Customer does not already have access to the relevant information, Patsnap does have access to the relevant information, and the data protection impact assessment or prior consultation is required by Data Protection Law.

8.2 International Data Transfers. The Customer acknowledges and agrees that regardless of the location in which Customer Personal Data is stored, Customer Personal Data may be transferred to other jurisdictions (including outside of the EEA):

(a) in order to provide technical and customer support, account management, billing and other ancillary functions, and

(b) as expressly described in the Agreement or this DPA. Patsnap shall not transfer Customer Personal Data to (nor permit Customer Personal Data to be Processed in or from) a country outside of the EEA unless it takes such measures as are necessary to ensure that the transfer is in compliance with applicable Data Protection Law. Where Customer Personal Data is transferred from a Processor within the EEA to a Processor outside of the EEA in any country:

(i) not recognized by the European Commission as providing an adequate level of protection for Customer Personal Data (as described in the applicable Data Protection Law); and

(ii) not covered by a suitable framework recognized by the relevant authorities or courts as providing an adequate level of protection for Customer Personal Data, any required local transfer mechanism including the Standard Contractual Clauses, UK IDTA and/or any other mechanism or amendments required by local law shall apply to such transfer.

8.3 Audits. Patsnap shall allow for and contribute to audits in the form of Customer requesting information and/or documents to evidence compliance with its obligations in respect of Patsnap’s processing of Customer Personal Data not more than on an annual basis, unless the conduct of Patsnap constitutes a breach of this DPA and therefore requires additional information to be requested by Customer.

9. CALIFORNIA SPECIFIC PROVISIONS

9.1 CCPA. This Section 9 applies to Patsnap’s processing of Personal Data that is subject to CCPA.

9.2 Permitted Use. Patsnap shall not retain, use or disclose Personal Data for any purpose other than the Purpose, or as otherwise permitted by CCPA, including retaining, using or disclosing the Personal Data for a commercial purpose other than providing the Services specified in the Agreement.

9.3 Patsnap shall not sell Customer’s Personal Data as the term “sell” is defined by CCPA.

10. GENERAL

10.1 Term and Termination. This DPA will remain in force until (i) it is replaced or repealed by mutual agreement of Customer and Patsnap, or (ii) the Processing of Customer Personal Data and Personal Data is terminated or expires.

10.2 Modification. Any modification to this DPA shall be invalid unless made in writing and signed by both Parties.

10.3 Liability. Any claims brought under this DPA will be subject to the same terms and conditions, including the exclusions and limitations of liability, as are set out in the Agreement. The total liability of Patsnap and its affiliates for all claims by Customer arising out of or related to the Agreement and this DPA shall apply in aggregate for all claims under both the Agreement and this DPA and not exceed the fees paid by the Customer for the previous twelve (12) months.

10.4 Governing Law.

(a) the parties to this DPA hereby submit to the choice of jurisdiction stipulated in the Agreement with respect to any disputes or claims howsoever arising under this DPA, including disputes regarding its existence, validity or termination or the consequences of its nullity; and

(b) this DPA and all non-contractual or other obligations arising out of or in connection with it are governed by the laws of the country or territory stipulated for this purpose in the Agreement.

10.5 Counterparts. This DPA may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which will be deemed to be an original and all of which taken together will comprise a single instrument. This DPA may be delivered by electronic document format (e.g. PDF), and electronic copies of executed signature pages will be binding as originals.

10.6 Entire Agreement. This DPA, together with the Agreement, constitutes the entire agreement between the parties and supersedes any other prior or contemporaneous agreements or terms and conditions, written or oral, concerning the Processing of Customer Personal Data by Patsnap on behalf of Customer. In case of conflict or inconsistency between this DPA and the Agreement, the following order of precedence shall govern to the extent of any conflict or inconsistency:

(a) this DPA; and

(b) the Agreement.

10.7 Severability. If any provision of this DPA is determined to be unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision will be severed, and the remainder of terms will remain in full effect.

Exhibit A
Details of Processing

Duration of the Processing of Customer Personal Data:

During platform subscription and up to three months after subscription expiry at which point it is deleted through cryptographic wiping. Limited basic PII such as contract signatories and contract contacts are stored indefinitely for accounting purposes.

The categories of Customer Personal Data:

1) PII: name, email, business phone number, IP address.

2) Data generated and/or stored in our web application. 2.1) List meta-data: Data on what patents are stored together by the customer. 2.2) Custom patent meta-data: Annotations, comments or custom categorization of patent data stored. Please note that Patsnap does not permit hosting of documents or import of non-publicly available patent information. When you import a patent in Patsnap, we simply match the patent number with an already existing patent record in our database.

3) patents viewed, search queries, analysis conducted.

The categories of data subjects Processed by Patsnap:

1) employees of customers who are registered and authorized users of the patsnap platform

2) employees of customers who are designated by the customer to act as contact persons to Patsnap for account management and billing purposes

Exhibit B
Patsnap Technical and Organizational Measures

1. INTRODUCTION

This Technical and Organizational Data Security Measures document articulates the technical and organizational security measures implemented by Patsnap in support of its Security Framework.

2. ACCESS CONTROL

2.1 ACCESS CONTROL OF PROCESSING AREAS (PHYSICAL)

Web applications, communications and database servers of Patsnap are located in secure data centers. Patsnap has implemented suitable measures in order to prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to the data processing equipment (telephones, database, application servers and related hardware) where Personal Data are processed or used, which includes the following:

• Establishing security areas.

• Protection and restriction of access paths.

• Securing the data processing equipment and personal computers.

• Establishing access authorizations for employees and third parties, including the respective documentation.

• Regulations and restrictions on card keys and fobs.

• Restricting physical access to the servers by using locked doors and separate cages within co-location facilities.

• Access to the data center where Personal Data are hosted is logged, monitored and tracked via electronic and CCTV video and/or electronic identity cards with users’ photographs.

2.2 ACCESS CONTROL TO DATA PROCESSING SYSTEMS (LOGICAL)

Patsnap has implemented suitable measures to prevent its data processing systems from being used by unauthorized persons, which includes the following:

• Establishing the identification of the connected device to and/or the users of the Patsnap systems.

• Automatic session time-out when an admin user connection is left idle, which implies that identification and password are required to reopen.

• Automatic lock out of the admin user ID when several erroneous passwords are entered.

• Events are logged and logs are reviewed on a regular basis.

• Utilizing firewall, router and VPN-based access controls to protect the private service networks and back-end servers.

• Continuously monitoring infrastructure security.

• Regularly examining security risks by internal employees and third party auditors.

• Role-based access control implemented in a manner consistent with the principle of least privilege.

• Remote access to Patsnap’s hosted network infrastructure is secured using two factor authentication.

• Access to host servers, applications, databases, routers, switches, etc. is logged.

• Access and account management requests must be submitted through internal approval systems.

• Access must be approved by an appropriate approving authority. In most cases, the approval for a request requires two approvals at minimum: the employee’s manager and the role approver or “owner” for the particular system or internal application.

• Passwords must adhere to the Patsnap password policy, which includes minimum length requirements, enforcing complexity and regular periodic resets.

Patsnap maintains Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS), Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) and Security Incident and Event Management (SIEM) systems.

2.3 ACCESS CONTROL TO USE SPECIFIC AREAS OF DATA PROCESSING SYSTEMS

Persons entitled to use the data processing system are only able to access Personal Data within the scope and to the extent covered by their respective access permission (authorization), and that Personal Data cannot be read, copied, modified or removed without authorization.

• Employee policies and training with respect to each employee’s access rights to Personal Data.

• Patsnap users have unique login credentials and role-based access control are used to restrict access to particular functions.

• Effective and measured disciplinary action against individuals who access Personal Data without authorization.

• Controlling access to account data and customer Personal Data via role-based access controls (RBAC) in compliance with the security principle of “least privilege”.

• Internal segmentation and logical isolation of Patsnap’s employees to enforce least privilege access policies.

• Authorization of access rights by system owner as well as monitoring and logging.

• Ongoing review of accounts and privileges (typically every 2-4 months depending on the particular system and sensitivity of data to which it provides access).

• Controlled and documented destruction of data.

• Developers have access to fictitious test data.

3. AVAILABILITY CONTROL

Patsnap has implemented suitable measures to ensure that Personal Data is protected from accidental destruction or loss.

• Global and redundant service infrastructure that is set up with full disaster recovery sites.

• Constantly evaluating data centers and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to optimize performance for its customers in regards to bandwidth, latency and disaster recovery isolation.

• Situating data centers in secure co-location facilities that are ISP carrier-neutral and provide physical security, redundant power and infrastructure redundancy.

• Service level agreements from data center providers and ISPs to ensure high levels of availability.

• Patsnap maintains full capacity disaster recovery (DR) sites and annually tests its DR plan.

4. TRANSMISSION CONTROL

Patsnap has implemented suitable measures to prevent Personal Data from being read, copied, altered or deleted by unauthorized parties during the transmission thereof or during the transport of the data media.

• Use of adequate firewall and encryption technologies to protect the gateways and pipelines through which the data travels.

• Sensitive Personal Data is encrypted during transmission using up-to-date versions of TLS and/or other security protocols (HTTPS) using strong encryption algorithms and keys.

• End-to-end encryption of screen sharing for remote access, support and real-time communication.

• Use of integrity checks to monitor the completeness and correctness of the transfer of data (e.g. SFTP).

5. INPUT CONTROL

Patsnap has implemented suitable measures to ensure that it is possible to check and establish whether and by whom Personal Data have been input into data processing systems or removed.

• Authentication of the authorized personnel.

• Segregation and protection of all stored Personal Data via database schemas, logical access controls and/or encryption.

• Utilization of user identification credentials.

• Physical security of data processing facilities.

• Session time outs.

6. SEPERATION OF PROCESSING FOR DIFFERENT PURPOSES

Patsnap has implemented suitable measures to ensure that Personal Data collected for different purposes can be processed separately. Personal data are permitted to be used only for the purpose for which they were originally collected.

7. DOCUMENTATION

Patsnap keeps documentation of technical and organizational measures in case of audits and for the conservation of evidence. Patsnap takes reasonable steps to ensure that persons employed by it and other persons at the place of work are aware of and comply with the technical and organizational measures set forth in this document. Patsnap, at its election, may make non-confidential portions of audit reports available to customers to verify compliance with the technical and organizational measures undertaken in this document.

8. MONITORING

Patsnap does not access Customer Personal Data, except to provide services to the Customer which Patsnap is obligated to perform in support of the Customer experience as required by law, or on request by Customer. Patsnap has implemented suitable measures to monitor access restrictions of Patsnap’s system administrators and to ensure that they act in accordance with instructions received.

This is accomplished by:

• Individual appointment of system administrators.

• Adoption of suitable measures to register system administrators’ access logs to the infrastructure and keep them secure, accurate and unmodified for a reasonable period of time.

• Regular audits of system administrators’ activity to assess compliance with assigned tasks.

9. DEFINITIONS

“Patsnap” means Patsnap (UK) Ltd and all of its direct and indirect subsidiaries.

“Customer” means any purchaser of any Patsnap offering.

“Personal Data” means any information directly or indirectly relating to any identified or identifiable natural person.

“Security Framework” refers to the collection of Patsnap’s policies and procedures governing information security, including but not limited to, policies, trainings, education, monitoring, investigation and enforcement of its data management and security efforts.

The post DATA PROCESSING AGREEMENT​ appeared first on Patsnap.

Posted November 20, 2018

Future Food Tech

21-22 March 2019, San Francisco

This two-day summit is hailed as the most international gathering of business leaders, VC investors and good-tech pioneers to transform food innovation and investment. By 2024, the world population will reach 8 billion. One of the key challenges is being able to feed the world’s population in a sustainable and healthy way. Consumers are also demanding more nutritious, personalised and traceable food, so the industry needs to keep up with the latest trends and technologies.

Some of the key themes include:

• Innovative ingredients, additives, functional foods
• Human health and nutrition
• Personalised nutrition
• Alternative proteins
• Food traceability and fraud prevention
• Corporate venturing in food

Rethink Agri-Food Innovation Week

27-29 November 2018, Singapore

Singapore’s first “Rethink Agri-Food Innovation Week” will focus on the role of technology in building a sustainable and efficient agri-food supply that can deliver nutritious food in today’s fast-changing consumer market. Food brands, ingredients manufacturers, agribusinesses, equipment manufacturers and investors will congregate to share innovation strategies and experiences from all over the world. There will be round table discussions, panel debates and case studies to help you maximise insight and share knowledge.

11^th Annual American Food Innovate Summit

4-5 February 2019, Chicago

Innovative foodies, comprising over 30 senior innovators, developers, food scientists, marketers and researchers, will share ground-breaking case studies to help you improve the success rates of your product launches. You can gain inspiration from the latest technologies, ingredients and strategies, to get ahead of consumer trends and discover alternatives disrupting the food industry—such as plant-based and allergen-free food.

Some of the key speakers include:

• Tammy Butterworth, Global R&D Manager at PepsiCo
• Andria Long, VP of Innovation and Consumer Insights at Johnsonville Sausage
• Brigette Wolf, Senior Director, Global Platform Innovation (Biscuits, gum and candy) at Mondelez International

3^rd Global Dairy Innovation Congress MENA 2019

28-29 January 2019, Dubai (UAE)

Got milk? If so, this event is (touted as) the only one to provide deep insight into the market opportunities in Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries. It also explores dairy product demands and preferences, channel and trade strategies, and emerging farming and processing technologies. The 2019 edition promises to unpack the latest MENA requirements for dairy products (across quality and nutrition), as well as automated milk production techniques that can withstand harsh desert environments. Finally, there’ll be a showcase of innovative dairy products. Presentations will cover topics including:

• Advanced Dairy Processing Measures to Ensure Continuous Competitive Advantage
• Unveiling New Dairy Regulations and Growth Potentials in UAE
• Explore MENA Requirements for Dairy Products: From Quality to Nutrition
• New Packaging Solutions to Boost Dairy Products Availability in MENA

Attending organisations include Arla, Ecolab and Danone, among others.

Gulfood

17-21 February 2019, Dubai

Dubbed “the world’s largest annual food and beverages trade show”, this event covers sectors including fats and oils, meat and poultry, beverages, and health, wellness and free-from, among others. In 2018, the 23^rd edition of the 5-day conference hosted 97,000 attendees from 185 countries. Regional trends—across the Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Australasia, North America and Latin America—were discussed, and attendees got to learn about key facets of the industry, including:

• Concepts and innovations that determine the market leaders
• Latest trends in consumer behaviour
• Challenges prevalent in the global food industry and how to overcome them
• New commercial opportunities and how to exploit them

Full details of the 2019 event are yet to be released but you can bookmark the website for easy reference.

Free report for food innovators: cannabis compounds in edibles and beverages

Find out more about innovation in cannabis compounds for food and beverages by downloading our free 20-page report It uses patent data analysis to reveal innovation opportunities, and explores the current patent and competitive landscape, and how this technology area is changing.

The post Upcoming food and beverage innovation events 2018-19 appeared first on Patsnap.

Posted November 15, 2018

Based on the outcome of the search, an organisation can then decide how to proceed – whether to license necessary technologies, whether to modify the invention or approach or, in some cases, whether to cease pursuing the project. In some cases, depending on the level of resource or investment that is to be committed to a project, a legal opinion will be sought. However, companies will not want to pay legal fees for every new potential project in the pipeline and will want to carry out some level of FTO analysis itself to rule out any obvious early instances of limitations to FTO, before escalating the project further.

In this interview, Juliana Melo, with an LLM in Intellectual Property and New Technologies from the Autónoma University of Madrid, provides her views on when and how organisations can conduct these early searches and the structure they should take. PatSnap and Juliana have also worked together to provide a series of videos on the topic so that, by the end, participants in the lectures will have a foundational understanding of what FTO analysis involves and what they should be looking for.

Join Academy today to access this free course

The post Why freedom to operate goes beyond just a search appeared first on Patsnap.

Posted March 21, 2018

The evolution of automotive R&D is cranking out difficult problems and the people best placed to solve them are the innovators driving all this change. So, we asked them:

“What are today’s biggest challenges to automotive R&D and which solutions would you propose?”

Below are their answers.

SEAT

CHALLENGE: Disruptive innovation

Three disruptive technologies are going to completely change the paradigms of manufacturing as we know them today.

In a company like SEAT, artificial intelligence (AI) is going to bring significant disruption. Being able to manage the vast amount of information we generate, as well as interconnecting with other ecosystems of suppliers and customers, is going to provide us with an unparalleled catalyst for transformation. Through the Internet of Things, we will gradually incorporate intelligence into machines—and people will transition from programming machines to being their trainers.

Additive manufacturing is also going to completely change the supply chain as we know it. It will allow us to incorporate more and more customisation capabilities and, therefore, value into the production line. Finally, virtual reality is improving in leaps and bounds, and we will soon be able to generate ad-hoc virtual training environments. Virtual reality will even allow us to interact in different languages with people located in other parts of the world, as if we were face to face.

During the first three industrial revolutions, industry changed society—in this case, it is society that is changing industry. The great challenge, therefore, is adapting our staff to this new paradigm—without losing the valuable knowledge they possess. SEAT’s employees want to adapt to this new reality and we have an enormous pool of potential talent.

SOLUTION: Technology for customers, by customers

Customers and users of technology are now the starting point for innovation.

Innovation carries an implicit risk and uncertainty which needs to be managed. For us, innovation doesn’t begin with the technology. That is, we don’t do “push innovation”, trying to search for a customer for a particular technology. Before going out to innovate, it is important to be very sure that you are going to use the resources you have available on what can provide the most value.

Our methodology is based on what we call “pull innovation”. We start with our strategy, looking at how we can achieve our goals from a new digital perspective. Then, we narrow the strategy down into specific ideas, which we analyse to determine whether they are feasible with one technology or another.

What allows us to implement our innovation model is the fact that we put the possibilities that exist, within the reach of the users of the technology. The idea is for the employees to identify the challenges and for the Smart Factory Team to advise on, propose and implement solutions to those challenges.

Groupe PSA

CHALLENGE: Feeling upside down

I would say the challenge is probably trying to combine a top-down approach (where innovation is 100% driven by company’s priorities and vehicle innovation needs) with a bottom-up approach (where innovation is driven by changes in consumer electronics, innovation in laboratories, universities, suppliers, start-ups and so on). So, I would say managing the balance between these two can be tough.

SOLUTION: Getting right side up

Combining agility with organisational discipline can help.Agility lies in consciously reaching out to suppliers, universities and start-ups, and being flexible enough to do so—while, at the same time, having what I would call a disciplined approach to innovation. This is about having a more top-down approach, where you’re making sure R&D resources have clear objectives—and that these are completely aligned with the company’s goals as well as clients’ needs.

Download the free Electric Vehicle IP Report 2018. This comprises worldwide patent analysis, investigating filing trends, top innovators, stealth tech, emerging companies and potential litigation risks, among other insights.

Bereskin & Parr LLP

CHALLENGE: Fear of change

The biggest challenge in automotive R&D is the reluctance to change. Compared with other high-technology sectors, automotive and manufacturing experiences a much slower pace of change.

Automotive manufacturing has a heavy reliance on labour and a corresponding difficulty with driving manufacturing efficiency. Furthermore, the concentration of global market leadership in relatively few firms means disruption is harder.

SOLUTION: Embrace the unknown

The successful companies that I work with treat automotive R&D as a high-technology play. There is an increased adoption of the pace of change and strategies from agile, high-tech companies. We must adopt new advanced manufacturing technologies—from simple automation and reduction in human-created inefficiencies, to increased manufacturing throughput. In successful companies, I see this adoption of technology and upgrades to the manufacturing process of the automobile itself.

On a positive note, automotive R&D will continue to be strong because of the developed market and continuing demand for its product. Companies that can quickly adopt emerging technologies, like artificial intelligence and driverless vehicles, will succeed.

I envision the value created in the auto sector shifting from hardware, to software and data. Corporate value will move from making the devices and cars, to the ownership of innovation assets—such as the data that fuels the AI and IP behind the technology. Pioneers should use their lead in data and IP stockpiles to secure regulatory approval, providing exponential market monopolies. Countries that rely exclusively on auto manufacturing to underscore their economy will see profitability eroded by those that hold strong data and IP positions. Countries should adopt strategies to own these automotive innovation assets.

Toyota Indus

CHALLENGE: Money! It’s a gas…

I am mostly involved in automotive supplier quality process improvement. Therefore my main focus is preventative maintenance and calibration of machines, tools, and dies. The major challenge is finances—most original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) demand reductions in part piece price. This makes suppliers reluctant to invest heavily in state-of-the-art machinery, tooling and design. When they do not invest in or maintain the dies on a regular basis, we get problems in the assembly plant—such as body accuracy issues and fitment challenges.

SOLUTION: Spread the costs

There’s a two-fold potential solution. We can directly assist the supplier in monetary terms, by subsidising machinery and robot costs, or by having the supplier buy the latest equipment and then amortising the cost through tooling, by baking it into part piece pricing.

The second part is about collaboration between OEMs—or the lack thereof. Most R&D work is performed in American and German companies—innovation leaders such as General Motors, BMW and Mercedes Benz are leaders—which invest in colleges and universities through their engineering programmes and faculty, thereby funding the development of new technologies. In return, the same university engineers go to work for these companies and use their research to come up with new products of innovation.

In my opinion, the major challenge facing R&D is collaboration between two OEMs. It may sound strange but if you look into it you will find that, even after two companies sign a joint venture agreement (JV), it is in human nature not to share and dissipate information. People tend to hold on to their research, due to the fear of not getting full credit. The only way is to do individual research and come up with new technologies. Mercedes and BMW do not take part in JVs. This may sound strange because here we are putting down the whole concept of teamwork, but the reality on the ground is these are the facts.

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The post Automotive R&D challenges and solutions: innovation leaders discuss appeared first on Patsnap.

Posted March 2, 2018

Whether you’re attending a one day conference or spending a few days there, there are plenty of learning opportunities for everyone. This year there will be some notable keynote speakers, and plenty of opportunities to network and share ideas with other IP professionals.

Global IP Exchange Europe

Berlin, Germany 12-14 March 2018

Source: Global IP Exchange Europe

This year’s Global IP Exchange will bring together 100 of the leading heads of intellectual property to share ideas, best practices and make new connections.

Key topics:

• Building awareness of IP value within your organisation
• Becoming a driving force for innovation
• Working in partnership with the R&D department
• Driving efficiency of the legal department with the latest legal technology

Key speakers:

• Head of patents at Audi
• Chief IP counsel of Johnson Controls
• VP of IP from Air Liquide
• CEO of Thyssenkrupp Intellectual Property GmbH

You’ll get the chance to learn from your peers through interactive round-table discussions and debates, networking and in-depth case studies. You will also have the opportunity to have one-to-one business meetings with other attendees.

PatSnap will be attending this event and leading a workshop on, “How IP leaders can become strategic collaborators to R&D”—we’d love for you to join us.

Life Sciences Patent Network

Boston, USA 26 April 2018

Source: Life Sciences Patent Network

This is a must for biotechnology and pharmaceutical IP professionals. The 2^nd annual Life Sciences Patent Network in North America will be held at The Ritz-Carlton in Boston.

There will be round-table discussions to allow groups to share views on a range of topics. Biopharma manufacturers will have the chance to attend open clinics in which in-house counsel can quiz private patent attorneys from around the globe about their own patent issues.

Key topics:

• Global patent enforceability
• Recent developments in pharma patent case law in Japan
• Patent protection for cutting edge biologics innovations

Key speakers:

• SVP and global chief of IP counsel at Shire Pharmaceuticals
• Partner at Smart & Biggar
• Head of global IP at AstraZeneca
• Head of patents at Novartis

There will also be Q&A sessions—so you can ask some of the leaders in the industry your burning questions.

IPBC Global

San Francisco, USA 10-12 June 2018

Source: IPBC Global

IAM will be hosting this year’s 11^th annual IPBC Global event at Palace Hotel in San Francisco. Senior IP leaders will be sharing strategic insights into how you can tackle challenges in today’s constantly changing IP landscape, such as:

• How licensing programmes are changing
• How to be successful before PTAB
• Dos and don’ts of IP transactions in China
• How to use data to maximise effectiveness of IP strategies
• Industry focusses on the challenges and trends in the semiconductor and artificial intelligence spaces

Keynote speaker:

• Andrei Iancu—USPTO director

Other key speakers:

• President of the European Patent Office
• Chief IP officer at Ericsson
• Chief patent counsel at Dolby Laboratories
• Global head of IP at Uber

PatSnap will be one of the sponsors for this event, so make sure your pop over to our exhibition stand to learn more about our latest developments and how we can help you.

Technology Patent Network Europe

London, UK 21 June

Source: Technology Patent Network Europe

Software supremoes, semiconductor superstars, electronics experts and manufacturing masters—this event is for you. This one day event is hosted by the World Intellectual Property Review at The Bloomsbury Hotel in London.

One of the key themes of this event will be artificial intelligence and its effect on the patent system, especially because the patent system isn’t designed to cope with IP protection to non-human innovation.

You’ll have the opportunity to have round table discussions and share ideas with IP professionals in the tech industry. There will be opportunities for in-house counsel to attend open clinics, where private patent attorneys can advise you on your current patent issues.

Key speakers:

• IP Counsel of IBM UK
• GM of IP and VP of research business development at IBM
• Managing director of 4iP Council EU

World IP Forum

New Delhi, India 14-16 November 2018

Source: World IP Forum

The theme for this event is “Global Innovation 2020: A strategic vision for economic growth.” This three-day conference will focus on recent developments in IP and how you can align them with your business goals.

This event is a must for anyone protecting IP in India and the ASEAN region.

Key topics:

• Patent protection and litigation strategies in the Middle East and North Africa
• Patent monetisation
• University-industry collaboration

Some renowned IP leaders will be participating in panel discussions and there will be plenty of opportunities to network with your peers.

Key speakers:

• General counsel of Tata technologies
• CEO of Thyssenkrupp Intellectual Property
• Patent counsel at Google

Find out how you can enhance your IP strategy

Download this eBook to find out how you can use patent landscapes to add value to your patent portfolio.

The post Upcoming IP Events in 2018 to Mark in Your Calendar appeared first on Patsnap.