851-0738-01L  The Role of Intellectual Property in Daily Routine: A Practical Introduction

SemesterAutumn Semester 2016
LecturersC. Soltmann
Periodicityyearly recurring course
Language of instructionGerman
CommentParticularly suitable for students of D-BAUG, D-ITET, D-MAVT


AbstractThe lecture gives an overview of the fundamental aspects of intellectual property, which plays an important role in the daily routine of engineers. The lecture aims to make participants aware of the various methods of protection and to put them in a position to use this knowledge in the workplace.
ObjectiveIn recent years, knowledge about intellectual property has become increasingly important for engineers. Both in production and distribution and in research and development, engineers are increasingly being confronted with questions concerning the patenting of technical inventions and the use of patent information.

The lecture will acquaint students with practical aspects of intellectual property and enable them to use the acquired knowledge in their future professional life.

Topics covered during the lecture will include:
- The importance of innovation in industrialised countries
- An overview of the different forms of intellectual property
- The protection of technical inventions and how to safeguard their commercialisation
- Patents as a source of technical and business information
- Practical aspects of intellectual property in day-to-day research, at the workplace and for the formation of start-ups.

Case studies will illustrate and deepen the topics addressed during the lecture.

The seminar will comprise practical exercises on how to use and search patent information. Basic knowledge of how to read and evaluate patent documents as well as how to use publicly available patent databases to obtain the required patent information will also be provided.
Prerequisites / NoticeThe lecture is in particular tailored to the needs of the following degree programs: Agricultural science, architecture, civil engineering, computational science and engineering, computer science, electrical engineering and information technology, environmental engineering, geomatic engineering and planning, interdisciplinary sciences, materials science, mathematics, mechanical engineering, physics.

For students of chemistry-related degree programs, the lecture 'Protecting inventions in chemistry' (851-0738-03) will be offered in the autumn semester.