This article has been written by Mr. Pranay Dhakad, a 4th year student of Alliance School of Law, Alliance University, Bengaluru.

Introduction

Technology transfer is the process of transferring knowledge, skills, and technologies from one organization to another. It takes place between educational institutions, companies, government agencies, and NGOs. Patent plays an important role in technology transfer by providing inventors with exclusive rights to their inventions for a brief amount of time. This encourages inventors to disclose their inventions to the public and license or sell their patents to others, which leads to the development and commercialization of new products and services.

Importance of technology transfer

Technology transfer is essential for innovation and economic growth. It allows new technologies to be developed and commercialized faster and more efficiently, and it helps to spread knowledge and expertise across different sectors of the economy. 

How do patents promote technology transfer?

Patents promote technology transfer in various ways: 

• It provide inventors with an incentive to disclose their inventions to the public since in order to obtain a patent, an inventor must file a patent application with a patent office, which must disclose the details of the invention. This disclosure allows others to learn about the invention and to build on it.
• Patent provide inventors with exclusive rights to their inventions for a limited period of time. This means that inventors can prevent others from making, using, selling, or offering to sell their inventions without their permission. This exclusive right can be used to negotiate licenses with other companies, which can lead to the commercialization of the invention.
• Since patents provide information about new technologies, the patent databases are used to search for patents on specific topics, which can help companies to identify new technologies that they may be interested in licensing or acquiring.

Examples of technology transfer

There are many examples of technology transfer that has been facilitated by patents. For example, the development of the smartphone was made possible by the transfer of technologies from a variety of different companies and organizations. The touchscreen display, for example, was originally developed by Bell Labs in the 1960s, but it was not commercialized until the 1980s. The lithium-ion battery, which is used in most smartphones, was originally developed by Sony in the 1970s, but it was not commercialized until the 1990s.

Another example of technology transfer is the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. The Moderna vaccine is based on a technology platform that was originally developed at Harvard University. In 2010, Harvard licensed this technology platform to Moderna, which used it to develop the COVID-19 vaccine.

Challenges to technology transfer

There are numerous challenges to technology transfer. One is that it can be difficult to identify and assess the potential commercial value of new technologies. Another is that it is difficult to negotiate and manage technology transfer agreements.

How to promote technology transfer?

There are numerous things that can be done to promote technology transfer. One important step is to create an environment that is supportive of innovation and technology transfer. This includes having strong IPR laws and regulations, as well as providing funding for research and development. Another important step is to facilitate networking and collaboration between different organizations. This can be done through initiatives such as technology transfer offices, industry-university research partnerships, and innovation clusters.

Conclusion

Technology transfer is essential for innovation and economic growth. Patent play pivotal role in technology transfer by providing inventor(s) with exclusive rights to their inventions for a limited period of time. This encourages inventors to display their inventions to the public and to license/sell their patents to others, which can lead to the development and commercialization of new products & services.

References

• This article was written by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) published on WIPO website. The link for the same is herein:  https://www.wipo.int/technology-transfer/en/#:~:text=What%20is%20technology%20transfer%3F,to%20public%20and%20private%20users
• This article was written by Srijit Mukherjee & Sudipta Bhattacharjee published in Journal of Intellectual Property, Vol. 9 of NUJS, Kolkata. The link for the same is herein: https://nopr.niscpr.res.in/bitstream/123456789/4876/1/JIPR%209(3)%20260-274.pdf
• This article was written by Rebecca S. Eisenberg published in the book of University of Michigan Law School. The link for the same is herein: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/232696705.pdf