Patents in computer science

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Abstract

This talk will go through the fundamentals of what patents protect and the process of getting them, with particular focus on the issues faced when patenting software. We will describe how patents are written compared to an initial idea and how to search for the patents of other companies and institutions. Case studies will be given of computer-related inventions that have been patented showing what was eventually protected. The talk will also go through the signs you should be looking out for in your research that point to possibly patentable computer related inventions.

Richard Lawrence:  Chartered Patent Attorney, European Patent Attorney, UK and European Design Attorney  MA Natural Sciences, University of Cambridge, LLB, Open University Richard has particular expertise in computer-related inventions and is a member of the Computer Technology Committee of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys. He has helped to obtain patent protection for significant energy saving technologies in the IT industry, such as energy-efficient smart cooling and optical interconnect for data centres, and has experience of managing IP and contractual issues associated with EU Seventh Framework funding for RandD. Currently, Richard manages a portfolio of computer-related patents for Mastercard. After qualifying as a patent attorney, Richard moved to Hewlett-Packard, where he worked for eleven years. Richard supported many HP businesses over this period, covering fields from optoelectronics to IT consulting, and led the company's UK IP Section. Much of Richard's work at HP was with the company's corporate research lab, HP Labs, where he led the team providing IP support to HP Labs worldwide, managing attorneys in the UK and the US, and coordinating the work of attorneys in other countries. Richard played a significant role in the development of HP's worldwide patent strategy and practice.

Robert McDougall Chartered Patent Attorney, European Patent Attorney, UK and European Design Attorney Ph.D. University of Cambridge, Chartered Physicist Robert is part of Keltie's IT, Telecoms and Electronics team. He primarily advises on patent issues, including prosecuting and drafting new patent applications for longstanding businesses and start-ups. Robert also conducts numerous IP audits for SMEs and provides IP consultancy and training to different organisations. During his career he was work on software-related patents for Seagate, Xyratex, Google and ATandT as well as numerous smaller software companies. His technical background is in physics, optics and electronics engineering and manages a portfolio of software patents for a US multinational. Prior to becoming a patent attorney, Robert worked as a photonics research scientist for Corning Inc. and as a consultant scientist for a start-up S.M.E. He has numerous peer-reviewed scientific papers and is an inventor on 5 patent applications.