VOICE Seminar on Value of Provisional Patents to Inventors

 

The VOICE seminar, led by Dr. Victoria Cajipe and guest Greg Einhorn.

On November 5, the von Liebig Entrepreneurism Center and the Office of Innovation and Commercialization collaborated to present a VOICE seminar on Provisional Patents.

The room was filled with undergrads, grads, and Postdocs alike, all looking for information on how to make their ideas a reality. Victoria Cajipe, PhD, Senior Licensing Officer of the OIC, led the presentation, explaining the patent processes for UC San Diego inventors and entrepreneurs.

Greg Einhorn, from Greer Burns & Crain, a firm that works with people looking to develop patents and license their products, was there to present alongside OIC, and helped to outline the long process from idea-making to patenting.

Another important topic of the seminar was the Innovation and Commercialization Loop, a feedback loop that helps streamline the idea inventing process all the way up until commercialization, through both licensing and patenting. The loop serves as an ideal outline for inventors looking to not only make their product, but also to commercialize their product to the rest of the world.   

Cajipe also listed out the varying types of patents. Utility patents and provisional apps are all slightly different and have individualized processes, and Einhorn advised that attorneys and agencies should be utilized during the formal patenting process, despite it being quite a steep investment.

Through UC San Diego’s commercialization program, all students are eligible to consult with the OIC to try and get their ideas patented. Cajipe explained that the OIC will help finish the technical commercialization processes for the student as well as taking care of all fees for patenting; the student, in exchange, will receive 35% of potential profits from the licensed product.

“It’s important for students to recognize the resources they have on campus,” said Cajipe during the presentation. “Besides taking care of fees, we work to be a great resource to help students along the way.” 

UC San Diego prides itself on being a technologically advanced university, with numerous new patents each year being attributed to the university. Of course, none of this could be achieved without the students' brilliant minds and trailblazing creativity.