Commercialization Resources


Intellectual Property

Intellectual property (IP) is the discoveries and/or knowledge that a creator wants to protect from being used by others without appropriate acknowledgement. Forms of intellectual property include copyrights and patents. Having protection for IP generated by faculty researchers and their teams is important for universities but is also important for future investors who want to know they are investing in work that is protected from development by competitors. The videos below introduce basic concepts and terms related to IP, the types of IP, and include references to patent regulations.

  • Intellectual Property Overview from NHLBI – This site covers detailed information and resources to help inventors on the road from invention to patent; covering the basics and types of Intellectual Property, common mistakes, prior art, freedom to operate, licensing, infringement, international patent applications, etc.
  • Types of Intellectual Property – This 10-minute video is provided by the B-BIC Skills Development Center. Dr. Gautam Prakash talks about the types of Intellectual Property and how they can be protected.
  • Understanding IP – The following slides are provided by the University of Alabama Birmingham, covering the IP basics, forms of protection and what they cover, as well as relevance.
  • Types of Patents – This 7-minute video is provided by the B-BIC Skills Development Center as part of the Technology Transfer Seminar series. Speaker: Dr. Gautam Prakash, USPTO examiner and IP adviser to the NHLBI.
  • Key Parts of a Patent Application – This 10-minute video is provided by the B-BIC Skills Development Center as part of the Technology Transfer Seminar series. Dr. Gautam Prakash talks about the key parts of a patent application.
  • Assessing the Patentability of an Invention – This is a 5-minute video provided by the B-BIC Skills Development Center, as part of the Technology Transfer Seminar series. Dr. Gautam Prakash talks about assessing the patentability of an invention.
  • The Role of the USPTO Examiner – This 4-minute video is provided by the B-BIC Skills Development Center as part of the Technology Transfer Seminar series. Speaker: Dr. Gautam Prakash, USPTO examiner and IP adviser to the NHLBI.