Atlanteknology - Technology News for Atlantic Canada

Dragon's Den

Some, if not most, people in Canada have heard of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's television show called Dragon's Den.


Well, the next season of the show is almost upon us and they are looking for potential candidates. Being a big fan of the show, I can tell you that if you have a good product or service, a good pitch and some fortitude, you stand at least a descent change of actually getting funding from the venture capitalists on the panel. of course, the quid pro quo is some loss of control, but the upside is often a much needed injection of capital.

Check out the requirements for entering here. Apply! The worst thing that could happen is they say no.

Three stripes and you are out

Not that it really needs to be repeated....but trade-marks really have value. Just ask Payless shoes.

A jury in Oregon recently ordered Payless shoes to pay Adidas (my favourite brand) over 300 million in damages for trade-mark violations involving the distinctive three stripes in the Adidas logo. Payless had created shoes with three stripes that looked, well, a bit too much like those Adidas has made famous.

Not every brand reaches the stage where it is worth that kind of money but on the other hand, one never knows at the outset how powerful a mark will be. Protect them early and often! Marks are valuable. Just ask Coke.

What is old, is new....

Last night I discovered something I thought was quite interesting. The British have made all proceedings/case at the Old Bailey (London's central criminal court) for the period from 1674 to 1913 available online.

It is fascinating to go back and look at the old cases, the facts, and how things were dealt with at that time. Most fascinating to me are the old copyright and trade-mark cases. What struck me immediately is that the facts patterns stay the same - then and now (in a general sense). Not all that surprising I suppose.

In any event, the cases make for great reading, especially if you are a history buff. Enjoy!

The apple of my eye-p (intellectual property)

I was listening to CBC radio this morning on my way in to work and there was a story on the apple growing industry in Nova Scotia. Anyone who has been here will know that the area called the Annapolis Valley is the apple growing area of the province and that the apples grown there are exported around the world.

In an effort to create new markets and change in the face of consumer tastes, various growers are turning to organic growing techniques. The story discussed various aspects of the industry, including how one Acadia University PhD student is conducting organic apple research on behalf of the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers' Association - the goal being (in part) to see if all natural treatments can be developed to replace the chemicals that help to manage the size and number of apples each tree produces. The reporter discussed some of these techniques but then went on to mention that they were not given further details because of......yes, thats right, intellectual property concerns.

The story was, to me, a perfect example of how intellectual property issues arise in all manner of commercial enterprises. I suspect that many people would not associate apple growing with cutting edge intellectual property matters but the truth of the matter is that farming, in general, produces a great deal of advancements, many of which are costly and are worthy of protection.

An apple grower, for example, would have a great advantage over competitors if that grower acquired (or group of growers acquired) an all natural technique to replace the chemicals that control the size and number of apples produced by a tree.

There are a number of ways she could protect this information including (potentially) a patent. The less costly alternative is via what is called "trade secret". The best known trade secret is the formula to Coke. Similarly, the "formula" for an all natural agent could be protected in much the same fashion.

The key of course is to keep the formula secret. Hence the name. And there are all kinds of ways to do this, including having the people who come in contact with the formula sign appropriate agreements concerning confidentiality etc. Also, and under the philosophy that a good defence is the best offence, the single best way to keep the formula secret would be to regulate who has access to it. And so on...

Anyway, I thought it was very interesting. Not all all intellectual property comes from laboratories where white coated technicians run around peering in to microscopes.

Have an apple - they are good for you. and don't forget to compost the core (assuming you do not eat it too).