Intellectual Property is an abstruse subject but if you're an inventor or innovator, it can be a necessary evil to tame.
For instance, did you know that the difference between inventors and assignees is similar to the difference between architects and homeowners? The first designs the product, the latter pays for it and technically owns it.
The information you find on the internet will always sell you a service or advertise IP attorneys rather than educate you on the subject. So what do you do? Rely on some MIT and Harvard grads (and Pandas) to be your trusted resource to educate yourself on the subject.
Patent Pandas does exactly that. Launched on Friday, the website aims to educate inventors, scientists and entrepreneurs about the different topics of intellectual property law in simple, uncomplicated plain speak.
The team consists of MIT and Harvard grads and alums. Jie Qi, an affiliate of Berkman Klein Center and MIT Media Lab, Carol Lin, from the Harvard Law School and its Cyberlaw Clinic, Ira Winder, a lecturer at MIT and May Qi, an illustrator who's a sophomore at Brown University.
The idea for this project came to Jie Qi after being burned by patent predators. In 2013, when she launched a crowdfunding campaign for LED stickers, Qi intended for the project to be open and wanted to share it with the world. Little did she know that one of the project's backers would file a patent on the product unbeknownst of her.
And that wasn't the sole incident. In 2014, she interviewed and eventually turned down a job offer from Google's Advanced Technology and Projects group only to find out that the interviewer applied for patents on her work. "Our goal is to share true stories of inventors and their experiences so everyone can benefit from them," said Qi, who is also the co-founder of Chibitronics, that makes LED Circuit stickers.
The website will publish comics, blog posts and stories on topics like patent rights, infringement, costs, and litigation. It will also provide resources of pro bono law clinics and attorneys. "Our hope is that startups, law firms and educators can Patent Panda to teach these concepts in a simple manner," Qi said.
The team collaborates with Suffolk Law School Intellectual Property & Entrepreneurship Clinic, Intellectual Property and Technology Clinic, University of Southern California, Harvard Cyberlaw Clinic and Berkman Klein Center and the MIT Media Lab.
