2.5 COL - Collaboration

relates-to:: 07-Projects/TTSU/Articles/The Periodic Table of Tech Start-Ups/README

This document precedes (down:: none and succeeds FTO - Freedom To Operate

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Some important definitions:

• Background Intellectual property BIP refers to any intellectual property rights, including copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and know-how, that existed prior to the formation of a collaboration between two or more entities. These intellectual property rights are owned by one or more of the collaborating parties and are not explicitly part of the collaboration itself.
• Foreground Intellectual Property FIP is defined as any intellectual property, including inventions, know-how, and processes developed or acquired by one or more of the parties to the collaboration and which is owned solely by such party or its affiliates. FIP may include ideas, trade secrets, works of authorship, trademarks, patents, patent applications and any other proprietary information. FIP is typically built on top of BIP
• Common Foreground Intellectual Property CFIP is a type of Intellectual Property that was developed jointly or collaboratively by two or more contracting entities and is owned in common by all parties. This type of IP may include any works, ideas, concepts, inventions, discoveries, software programs, or other materials created or developed through the collaboration process.
• Contamination is a term used to describe the effects of a collaboration between two or more entities such as companies, research institutes, or SMEs. It occurs when one entity's proprietary information, knowledge, technology, or techniques are inadvertently shared with another entity during the course of the collaboration. This can occur through direct sharing of information or resources, indirect sharing of resources (e.g. using each other's equipment), or simply working together in close proximity over time. Contamination can lead to the unauthorized use of confidential information and/or intellectual property belonging to one or more entities involved in the collaboration, and may lead to legal action if not addressed properly. As such, it is important that collaboration contracts include provisions to protect against contamination.