Uc Davis Extension

Campus nurtures innovation in developing countries

By Clifton B. Parker

UC Davis recently hosted a globally-oriented Licensing Academy that addressed innovation and intellectual property management issues in developing countries.

Twenty-nine students from countries in Latin America, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe participated in the program, which took place from June 5-17 at the Plant and Environmental Sciences Building on campus.

The Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture presented the Licensing Academy, whose target audience was international lawyers, technology managers and scientific professionals in both the public and private sectors who want to understand successful models of intellectual property management.

Specific topics included U.S. and international intellectual property protection, management for commercialization, licensing, and start-ups and spin-offs from public sector institutions.

Lecturers included instructors from the UC Davis School of Law, other law schools, UC Davis InnovationAccess, and legal practitioners and business experts representing major U.S. firms. The UC Davis School of Law collaborated on the academy, which was accredited by the UC Davis Extension.

In this fast-changing world of ideas and technology, the participating students acknowledged the benefits of learning about all aspects of intellectual property. More than ever, companies must take the proper steps to ensure their products are protected in marketplaces, far and wide.

Uraiwan Sintharapantorn of Thailand-based SCG Chemicals, said, “It is important for companies to have access to universities, even to collaborate with them."

He is in charge of legal and corporate affairs for his company, an industrial conglomerate that rolls out many new products. "So licensing and intellectual issues are a part of my everyday business life. The (Licensing Academy) has given me a comprehensive perspective on how to help move my company forward," Sintharapantorn said.

Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as discoveries and inventions. Common types of intellectual property include copyrights, trademarks, patents, industrial design rights and trade secrets in some jurisdictions.

The students form the nucleus of a growing international network of technology managers, sharing experiences and developing strategies for technology management and innovation for their countries, stated the UC Davis Extension.

Kate's Blog: UC Davis Extension summer courses - still time to enroll

My name is Kate Asche. I am a poet and essayist writing in the greater Sacramento area. I am also associate director of Arts, Humanities and Writing at UC Davis Extension, where I coordinate The Tomales Bay Workshops and where, this summer, I will teach The Art of Expressive Writing, starting July 11, 2011. I received my M.A. in English and Creative Writing from UC Davis. I won an Academy of American Poets award and two Elliot Gilbert Prizes in poetry. I was recently a finalist in The Missouri Review’s Fourth Annual Audio Contest; my recorded poem, “Know/Don’t Know,” will be published at The Missouri Review website in summer 2011. When I am not writing or talking with writers, you can find me thinking through a new possibility at a Sacramento Poetry Center board meeting, drafting new creative writing with adults or teens at a local library, enjoying a performance at Stories on Stage, or chatting at Writers Who Wine. Come on over and say hi! Header photo and portrait courtesy of McComish Photography, www.mccomishphoto.com. Well, because of the many hats I currently wear, and especially in my role at UC Davis Extension, I find that members of the Davis and Sacramento writing communities regularly come to me with information about all kinds of different and amazing writing and learning opportunities. I have done my best to share these opportunities, but there are just too many good things going on all the time! I needed a more responsive medium. So, here I am, pledging to keep you in the loop with all I am hearing about what's hot, what's fun, and what's coming up in our local writing world and beyond.

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