This document discusses analyzing the state-of-the-art in a field through various means such as scientific publications and awards, research reports from public research organizations, EU funded research projects, standards bodies, market reports, corporate research labs, and patents. It emphasizes exploring these sources to understand important trends, find partners and competitors, and ensure freedom to operate new technologies without infringing existing patents.

1. Entrepreneurial Aspect
&
Activities
State Of The Art Analysis
Vakgroep Informatietechnologie – IBCN

2. Intelligence is vital
State-of-the-art is the level of development achieved in
a certain market, application domain, science or
technology.
Get to know your operating environment:
 Know and understand the important market and
technology trends in your sector.
 Select the best-in-class technology.
 Differentiate versus the competition.
 Find partners and allies.
 Research institutes
 Companies
Vakgroep Informatietechnologie – Onderzoeksgroep IBCN p. 2

3. Forecasting the future
The future will be determined by the actions
of individuals and organizations :
 Scientific Research
 IPR
 Patents
 Copyright,
 Open source
 Standard bodies & Professional
organizations
 Market reports
 Industry trends
 Corporate research labs
 Startup companies
 Competition
Vakgroep Informatietechnologie – Onderzoeksgroep IBCN p. 3

4. Science & Scientific Research
Interest in new technology is measured by:
 Scientific publications and awards:
 Journals
 Conference proceedings
 Increased R&D activities and science reports
 Annual report Public Research Organisations or
PRO’s:
– IMEC, Fraunhofer,
– IBBT, Telecom labs,..
 EU databases (Cordis)
 Increased patent activities
Vakgroep Informatietechnologie – Onderzoeksgroep IBCN p. 4

5. EU Funded Research
 Results of EU funded research projects
 Search by:
 Market: culture/tourism
 Technology: Mobile/Wireless
 …
 Project summary and partners:
 Identify your competition
 Find your future business partners
 … and customers !
 Web site:
 http://cordis.europa.eu/ictresults/index.cfm
Vakgroep Informatietechnologie – Onderzoeksgroep IBCN p. 5

6. Standards & Professional orgs.
 ISO: International Standards Organisation
 http://www.iso.org/
 Example: PDF ISO 3200 , PDF/A ISO 19005
 W3C consortium:
 http://www.w3.org/
 Example: Mobile web at W3C
 IEEE:
 http://www.ieee.org/
 Example :IEEE Learning Technology Standards
Committee
Vakgroep Informatietechnologie – Onderzoeksgroep IBCN p. 6

7. Market Reports
 Market research reports:
 Gartner,
 OVUM,
 Juniper, RHK, McKinsey,..
 Government policy:
 EU digital agenda
 FP7Software services
 http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/ssai/
 Internet resources
Vakgroep Informatietechnologie – Onderzoeksgroep IBCN p. 7

8. Corporate Research labs
 Nokia labs: NRC
 http://research.nokia.com/
 Google labs:
 http://research.google.com/
 Qualcomm research:
 http://www.qualcomm.com/innovation/research/index.html
 Adobe Technology Lab
 http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/
Vakgroep Informatietechnologie – Onderzoeksgroep IBCN p. 8

9. Patents
Vakgroep Informatietechnologie – Onderzoeksgroep IBCN p. 9

10. Are we free to operate ?
Patents & IPRs are mainly associated with protection
The most important issue of technological innovation is
nevertheless: freedom to operate
– check & analysis of existing prior IPR
– to avoid infringements on exclusive rights of third
parties
– optimal implementation of the planned business
strategy (partners, buy-build,…)
Vakgroep Informatietechnologie – Onderzoeksgroep IBCN p. 10

11. The iPhone - Android patent war
Vakgroep Informatietechnologie – Onderzoeksgroep IBCN p. 11

12. Patents and you
Why check?
 To know what happens in your domain/to know your
competitors and what they do.
 To avoid that one has to immediately stop exploitation
activities for reasons of infringement of earlier existing
IPRs.
 To avoid compensation claims for such infringements.
 To avoid to re-invent the wheel.
 European industry spends yearly 20 000 000 000 € on
re-inventing existing inventions, inventing products
that cannot be commercialised anymore or on
searching solutions for problems that are already
solved. (2007)
The obligation to check, the option to patent.
Vakgroep Informatietechnologie – Onderzoeksgroep IBCN p. 12

13. Patents in the innovation process
MARKET INTRODUCTION
Preparation of production and EXPLOITATION of the patent: detection of
market introduction infringements, licensing out
PRODUCT
PATENT PROTECTION as possibility to
Specifying the prototype
protect the invention.
PROTOTYPE
Development and working SOURCE OF INFORMATION: are there
out of a concept valid patents or can I copy the invention freely?
IDEA
Development and collection of SOURCE OF INSPIRATION:
INSPIRATION
ideas state-of-the-art searches; can I build further
on the existing patents?
START
Vakgroep Informatietechnologie – Onderzoeksgroep IBCN p. 13

14. IPR databases
 The main public databases are:
 U.S. PTO (http://www.uspto.gov): US Patent Office
 WIPO (http://www.wipo.int): World Intellectual Property
Organization
 EPO (http://www.espacenet.com): European Patent Office
 JPO (http://www.jpo.go.jp): Japanese Patent Office
 CIPO (http://patents1.ic.gc.ca/): Canadian Intellectual Patent
Office
 Google also is getting into patents:
 http://www.google.com/patents
 We recommend: Espacenet
 Patent search based on keywords
Vakgroep Informatietechnologie – Onderzoeksgroep IBCN p. 14