CPA, the world’s top intellectual property (IP) management specialist and the leading provider of outsourced legal support services, in conjunction with Ocean Tomo, hosted India’s first ever “Live Intellectual Property Auction - Asian Simulcast and Symposium” in Bangalore, India on June 26, 2008. Nearly 65 lots of IP assets were offered for sale in 20 categories including smart cards, manufacturing & automation, online & mobile commerce, lighting technology, telemedicine, computer systems & software, digital media systems, domain names, security & authentication systems, messaging and electronics and handheld devices.  Total sales for the live auction conducted in Amsterdam came to USD $12.6 Million (INR 544 Crore), including buyers premium.

The Simulcast and Symposium introduced for the first time the concept of making IP a readily useable business asset and had a goal of helping inventors, small & medium enterprises, investors, and even top multinational companies achieve value for their patents, copyrights and trademarks.

“The Simulcast and Symposium gave us a fantastic opportunity to showcase the importance of making IP a readily usable business asset, and provided us with a platform to pull together organisations and thought leaders to think about the future of IP. Working hand-in-hand with Ocean Tomo to deliver such a momentous event further validates our commitment to help corporations carefully manage, maximize and understand their patent portfolio,” said Bhaskar Bagchi, Country Head, CPA, India.

The Simulcast and Symposium attracted participants from academia, government, large corporations and SMEs, and also featured prominent speakers and senior IP professionals addressing the importance of India as a global player in the IP marketplace.

Close to 50 senior members participated in the event to engage in active discussions about the models to be followed in India for future success in commercialization of IP as well as to view the live auction by simulcast. The active panel discussion, led by Mr. Daniel Bell, AVP Patent Research Services at CPA, India, focused on the current state of collaboration between government, academia and corporations. Dr. Dipanjan Nag, Director, Ocean Tomo led the discussion about India’s role in the global intellectual property marketplace. Senior members such as Dr. Sridhar Mitta, CEO of e4e; and Dr. Ajai Garg, Joint Director, Dept of Information Technology, MCIT, GOI also participated in the discussions, sharing their views on the future of IP in India.

Corporate participants included, SAP, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Mindtree Consulting, Biocon, Mphasis, Satyam, Systems Biology, Titan Industries LTD, TATA Tea, HCL, Philips and other members including the Indian Patent Office, CSIR, Dept. of Information Technology, and the Consulate General of the United States of America.

Dipanjan Nag, Director, Ocean Tomo said “This is the first time that we have organised such an event in India and the support has been overwhelming. Our associations with bodies and organizations such as the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), Department of Information Technology and CPA will help us reach our goals of introducing a forum for facilitating the open and public exchange of Intellectual Property.”

Sourced From: Vox Public Relations