The Invent Blog :: Stephen M. Nipper's Patent Blog

Comment Policy for this Blog

The Invent Blog typically (unless I forget to) opens its blog posts up to comment by its readers. 

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Update:  funny.  This post is getting hammered with comment and trackback spam.  Closing comments for now.

Nano/Bio in Idaho

Sorry for the light posting...been catching up, doing some pro-bono, attending some conferences...

Speaking of conferences, yesterday I attended the "Second Annual Nano/Bio Technology Forum" here in Boise. Speakers included Willam Tong (H-P Laboratories), Dr. Melinda Hamilton (Director of Biological and Geological Sciences, INEEL), Dr. Cheryl Schrader (Dean, College of Engineering, Boise State University), Dr. Mike Laskowski (Chairman, BIO Idaho), Pat Doneen (CFO, Sapidyne Instruments, Inc.), and Karl Tueller (Executive Director, Idaho Office of Science and Technology). It was encouraging to see industry, education and government all coming together to make sure that the State of Idaho is prepared for these new technologies. It reminded me of Dennis Kennedy's recent post on Missouri Nanotechnology.

Idaho (mainly due to HP, Micron Technology and INEEL) consistenly ranks #1 per capita for patents issued and the Boise metro area ranks #2 (behind San Jose). Before you pack your bags and move out here (to help me with the perceived deluge of patent applications)....a large chunk of that patent work gets done by out-of-state patent firms, a fact that truly amazes me. Maybe Ron Baker is right...clients are not very price sensitive.

The same is not true for foreign IP attorneys....the % increase in work we are picking up from foreign attorneys is increasing faster and faster (relative to our overall increase in work). Perhaps they have figured out something that my local businesses haven't yet...

NanoTech-Transfer Patent Database

For those of you interested in nanotechnology patents, I stumled across this database earlier today that "compiles new entries to the USPTO Patent listings and integrates the information into a full search database sorted by tech-sector, inventor, institution, application, patent number or date." See: nanotechweb.org - Nanotechnology Resources - Nanotech-transfer patent database and report debuts

WSJ : The nanotech race to the USPTO

Wall Street Journal Article on "Nanotechnology Patents Surge As Companies Vie to Stake Claim". The article is an excellent summary of the current issues that exist as nanotech companies race to position themselves in this technology that "the government estimates at $1 trillion by 2015."