Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 234: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation the action he is taking to review the current intellectual property regime in universities to make it more business friendly; the steps he has taken to explore the potential to develop Ireland as a centre of excellence for the registration of patents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44674/10]

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Innovation Taskforce Report, published last March, made recommendations across a wide range of areas, including the need to transform our intellectual property arrangements. The intellectual property-related recommendations contained in the report are aimed at ensuring that industry and businesses will experience a predictable, consistent and speedy approach when engaging with research institutions to commercialise intellectual property.

In response, I established an Intellectual Property Implementation Group last June to drive the implementation of these recommendations within a short time frame, in order to ensure that all enterprises, from small businesses to multinationals, get better access to Government-supported intellectual property and can then use it to create jobs and drive our economic recovery. This group includes IP experts from business, the VC community, Technology Transfer Offices of universities, and is supported by an IP lawyer.

A key task for the Group is to develop a more user-friendly system for industry to commercialise intellectual property. The ambition is to give Ireland a competitive advantage over many other countries and the goal is to create smart and sustainable jobs. In tandem with this work, my Department, in consultation with key research funding agencies is currently working on enhancing and updating existing intellectual property policies and supports. The development of a clear intellectual property policy will help Ireland maximise the return on public investment and support the commercialisation of Irish research and development.

In order to promote Ireland as a centre of excellence for the registration of patents, we must ensure that our intellectual property legislative framework in this area meets both our national needs and our international obligations. The Patent (Amendment) Act, 2006 contains the necessary substantive legislation provisions to give effect to a number of international agreements. The Patent (Amendment) Rules, 2009 bring Irish rules more fully in line with European and worldwide standards and provide a straightforward patenting system making use of available technology for easier access to intellectual property protection for all users of the system.

The Innovation Taskforce Report also made proposals relating to marketing Ireland as a location for research and commercialisation of Intellectual Property. These proposals are under review by my Department and a number of initiatives are in train. For example, legislation in been prepared to enable Ireland to ratify the London Agreement, a review of the Patent (Amendment) Act, 2006 is under way and we continue to support the creation of the EU patent though negotiations in Brussels as a matter of urgency. The Patent Office has embarked on a number of information seminars to industry and provides one to one support to innovators.