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p r e s e n t e d a t

Annual Meeting, Mid-Atlantic RegionFederal Laboratory Consortium for Technology TransferSeptember 16, 2008

Ted MecumTechnology Manager Innovative Partnerships Program (IPP) OfficeNASA Goddard Space Flight Center

New Technology AssessmentMaking Informed Patenting Decisions

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NTA Players

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Goddard Innovative Partnerships Program OfficeNew Technology Assessment Process Map

IPP – Code 504Start

End

IPP Chief

Send out updated spreadsheet to staff 2

weeks prior to next NTA meeting

Post NTA mtg w/ IPP Marketing & OPC to

review notes

Post NTA mtg w/ IPP Marketing & New

Technology Reporting Assistant to review

actions

Glossary of Acronyms/Terms:

TM – Technology Manager IPP Chief – Innovative Partnerships Program Office ChiefNTR – New Technology Report NTA – New Technology AssessmentOPC- Office of Patent Counsel LE- Large Entity

Revised MJ 2-4-08

TM Review new and open cases

New Technology Reporting Assistant

OPC

Technology Transfer Support

Assistant

Follow up with Non- Provisional or

Provisional patents as recommended

Update TechTracS with notes and actions from recommendations

Post NTA mtg w/ OPC & New Technology

Reporting Assistant to review actions

Concur IPP/ Patent recommendations

IP recommendations

Stat bar?

open case- 2 Year hold

Y

N Y

N

Assign new case to TM

Pursue patentInactivate case

Implement passive marketing

Inactivate

Fuentek

Pursue protection Assessment

Provide assessment

Final recommendation

Small Business2yr Hold?

N

Y

Small Business

Hold?

Resolve IP issues

Y

LE?

N N

LE waiver?

Y

Y

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Stages of NTA

• Determine disclosure

• Determine ownership

• Screen technology

• Recommend strategy/next steps

• Implement recommendations

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Disclosure Status

• Has a stat bar been triggered?– Public disclosure starts 1-year clock for filing

non-provisional patent application– Precludes international patent protection

• OPC validates stat bar and patentability– Extent of disclosure– Consider filing provisional patent application

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Ownership

• Civil Servant Only– NASA (government) owns

• Co-Owned– Negotiate joint-ownership agreements

• Contractor owned– Small Business or College/University

• Can take 2 years to decide whether to retain or waive ownership rights

– Large Entity• Can request that government waive its

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Screen

• Preliminary evaluation of technology against set criteria– IP strength– Market size, structure, significance– Tech’s level of development– Comparison to state of the art/competition– Ease of implementation– Time-to-market considerations

• Consider strategic value of tech for NASA

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Recommendations

• Inactivate– Lack of NASA ownership– Insufficient current or future commercial

potential and/or strategic value

• Pursue IP protection (patent)– Value is obvious (non-provisional)– Value is highly likely (provisional)– OPC confirms recommendation

• Assess– More information needed to make patenting

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Assessment: What and Why

• What it is– In-depth evaluation against key factors

• Commercialization potential• IP protection possibilities• Market factors

• Why we do it– To validate and verify technology’s potential

for licensing

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Implement Recommendations

• Patenting recommendation confirmed at NTA

• OPC files patent application

• Marketing– Passive: TT support/assistant submits

technology to databases– Active: TM pursues potential licensees,

developing and negotiating agreements as needed

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Summary

• Ownership and patentability are key questions that should be answered first

• Screening is a low-resource effort to guide future high-resource efforts– Assessment offers more “precision” in making

the patenting decision

• Quality tracking and information management systems are essential (TechTracS)

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Thank You!

• Ted MecumTechnology ManagerInnovative Partnerships Program OfficeNASA Goddard Space Flight Center(301) 286-2198ted.mecum@nasa.govhttp://ipp.gsfc.nasa.gov

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