IP Issues
ITRI holds IPs of others in great respect. Indeed, that respect is the number one concern in all of our business contacts. We also advocate this view vigorously. A case in point is that, after signing a comprehensive cross-licensing agreement with AT&T in 1994, ITRI was instrumental in setting up Asian Pacific Intellectual Property Association (APIPA), an organization to promote IP awareness and proper practice in Taiwan. APIPA is funded in part by royalty collected under the above cross-licensing agreement.
There are some overriding guidelines in handling IPs at ITRI. The first is that, being an organization receiving considerable funding from the public sector, we have to be fair and open to all inquirers. Exclusive licenses can be granted only in specific cases that satisfy certain criteria. The second is that we have to consider the public at large, not just our highest return. The third is that, in the case of acquiring any technology to carry out further research, ITRI will usually ask for related rights, in order to ensure that our own related R&D effort can come to commercial fruition through others, since ITRI does not engage in volume production.
Technology Transfer & Service Center (TTSC),
International Program Center
(IPC) or individual research
laboratories can all be the initial contact window. Whether
ITRI is a principal or a facilitator in a transaction involving
IP, there is a rigorous procedure of evaluation and negotiation.
As the technology concerns increasingly involve interdisciplinary
issues, multi-lateral negotiation becomes common. Our recognized
broad technical competence and public trust enable us to gain
a good perspective and to work for effective solutions.
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ITRI has over <%=p99_total%> patents in effect worldwide, most falling into five major fields: Communications and Opto-electronics, Materials and Chemical Engineering, Precision Machinery and MEMS, Sustainable Development, Biotechnology and Medicine. An emerging field, Nanotechnology, has a strong interdisciplinary character. While many nanotechnology-related topics may have been included in the five fields named above, there are also some that are considered intrinsically "nano" in nature. For this reason we set aside this latter group under a distinct nanotechnology banner. About one third of all patents are granted by other countries. As of year <%=CurYear%>, we have chosen to list the issued patents in U.S., over <%=p99_us%> of them, in the following pages. Please refer to Patents portfolios for more information.
