Patent harvesting – build IP awareness and reap the fruits of innovation

This podcast focuses on how to develop an internal awareness of intellectual property and the importance of setting aside time to recognise and capture ideas as they happen. The purpose of patent harvesting is to sift through these innovations, to identify which might be possible to protect and explore which might hold commercial value.The process harnesses the power and creative thought of an organisation’s R&D team and other areas of the business. The results are not just restricted to patents, however, as the benefit of using cross-functional teams means that ideas for advancing business innovation or development can arise as by-products.The podcast also explores the role of patent attorneys in the future and how it will be affected as AI reshapes the patent landscape.Tomas Wässingbo, a partner at Zacco responsible for the development of the innovation assets area, and Gunilla Larsson, IP director in automation and digital at Tetra Pak, addressed the following questions in a discussion with Managing IP's commercial editor, Phil Myers: What are the benefits of involving people from different disciplines?Is the approach applicable to organisations of all sizes and natures?How has the patent harvesting process been received by participants?How are Zacco’s Forward Patenting workshops run and who should be involved?What will be the primary considerations for patent attorneys in the future?An active approach to harvesting inventions can form an important part of the IP development and capture process, and contribute to decision making.Listen to the podcast to learn more about how patent harvesting sessions set the “innovative locomotive” in motion.