December 3, 2015

Dr. Dinusha Mendis disseminates Government-funded research on the IP implications of 3D Printing at invited talks in UK and EU (Part I)

Awarded & submitted bids, conferences, Knowledge Transfer, PG research, Post-award, Public engagement, REF Subjects, Research themes cippm

In April 2015, the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) published three reports reflecting a legal and empirical study into the intellectual property (IP) implications of 3D printing. The project – commissioned by the UKIPO – was awarded to Bournemouth University and was led by Dr. Dinusha Mendis.

Together with Dr. Mendis, the research team consisted of Dr. Davide Secchi (Southern University, Denmark; previously Bournemouth University at the time of conducting the research) and Dr. Phil Reeves (Econolyst Ltd – now Stratasys Strategic Consulting Ltd).

All three reports can be found here and further information about the project, including research findings and recommendations for the UK Government, Industry and Intermediaries can be found here.

Since the publication of the reports, Dr. Dinusha Mendis, Co-Director of the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management (CIPPM) has been invited to deliver a number of invited talks in UK and Abroad, thereby reflecting the impact of the research.

This blog-post highlights the invited talks in UK. For dissemination of research in the EU, please see here.

Plymouth Law School, One Day Workshop on CSR

On 28 August 2015, Plymouth Law School held a one-day workshop, titled, ‘Valuing Knowledge, Creativity and Innovation: Relating Corporate Social Responsibility to Copyright Law’.

The workshop considered the prospect of practising Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in relation to copyright, where similar ideas of corporate social awareness have already applied to other areas of intellectual property protection.

Dr. Mendis explored the issue from the angle of emerging technologies and gave a presentation titled ‘Printing the Future: Is there a Need for Regulation? The Copyright Implications of 3D Printing’.

Other invited speakers on the day included, amongst others, Professor Charlotte Waelde, Professor of Intellectual Property, Exeter University and Dr. Abbe Brown, Reader and Deputy Head of the Law School, University of Aberdeen.

Please see here for further information.

EPIP Conference 2015, CREATe, University of Glasgow

From 2-3^rdSeptember 2015, CREATe, the RCUK Centre for Copyright and New Business Models in the Creative Economy at the University of Glasgow hosted the 10th Annual Conference of European Policy for Intellectual Property (EPIP). The event explored intellectual property from an economic, legal and political perspective considering its impact in the creative economy with a focus on copyright, data and the changing economics of the digital world.

Dr. Mendis presented and led a panel titled ‘A Legal and Empirical Study into the Intellectual Property Implications of 3D Printing – Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations’. The panel consisted of the research team, which carried out the research for the UKIPO Project, with a Panel member from the UKIPO outlining the next steps in relation to policy in the area of 3D printing and IP Law.

Together with Dr. Mendis, other Panel members included Dr. Davide Secchi (University of Southern Denmark), Ms. Sophie Jones (for Dr. Phil Reeves) (Stratasys Strategic Consulting) and Ms. Pippa Hall of the UK Intellectual Property Office.

Further information this event can be found here and further information about the conference including presentations from both days can be found here.

IPAN Event, London

On 11 November 2015, the Intellectual Property Awareness Network (IPAN) hosted an evening event, which explored 3D printing from an industry perspective as well as from a legal (IP) perspective. IPAN is a non-profit organisation working to improve understanding of patents, trademarks, designs, copyright and other IP rights and their value to society.

IPAN is chaired by CIPPM Associate Director, Professor Ruth Soetendorp.

Dr. Mendis was invited to deliver a talk highlighting the research findings, conclusions and recommendations of the UKIPO Project and its implications for IPAN’s membership. Dr. Mendis spoke alongside Mr. Paul Gately, EMEA Manager of 3D Systems.

3D Printing Panel and Poster Presentation at University of Liverpool

On 11 December 2015, Dr. Mendis will form part of a panel exploring the topic of 3D printing and its implications for IP law, from a broader perspective at the University of Liverpool.

December 1, 2015

HSS Writing Week 4th-8th January – How can Bournemouth University Clinical Research Unit support you?

Publishing, writing Lisa Andrews

The Faculty of Health and Social Sciences is holding a Writing Week between 4th-8th January 2016 aimed at supporting staff to find time in their busy academic diaries to prioritise writing grant applications and papers for publication.

The Bournemouth University Clinical Research Unit offers methodological and statistical collaboration for all healthcare researchers in the area. It supports researchers in improving the quality, quantity and efficiency of research across Bournemouth University and local National Health Service (NHS) Trusts. It incorporates the Dorset office of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Research Design Service who offer free methodological support to researchers who are developing research ideas in the field of health and social care.

BUCRU will be supporting Writing Week in HSS by holding two drop-in sessions on Tuesday 5th January and Thursday 7th January 12-2pm in R508 Royal London House. We would also like to extend the invitation across the other Faculties for anyone who feels we may be able to support them. For those unable to attend the drop-in sessions, we would be delighted to arrange an alternative appointment.

Please see further information here, contact our adminstrator Louise Ward on 01202 961939 / bucru@bournemouth.ac.uk or visit our website. We look forward to seeing you!

November 24, 2015

‘Vulnerable Warriors: Counter-terrorism and the rise of Militarised Policing’ seminar by Dr Anna Feigenbaum and Daniel Weissman,

conferences, Fusion, Knowledge Exchange, student research, Women's Academic Network Mastoureh Fathi

Dr Anna Feigenbaum

Daniel Weissman

2^nd December 2015, Royal London House, R303, 1-1:50 pm

All staff and students welcome to the last Social Science seminar in 2015.

Abstract:

This paper seeks to better understand the cultural and material processes of police militarization and its relationship to security infrastructures and geo-political practices of social control. In this paper we trace the rise the ‘Warrior Cop’ through an analysis of changes in the circulation of advertisements of policing and policing products at security expose between the late 1990s and the present, taking our analysis up through the recent Paris attacks and the Milipol Security expo held days after.

This analysis is framed against the backdrop of existing research on the shift in the post-Cold War period from a security focus on the threat of the nation-state to the threat of insurgency and non-state actors. This period was characterized by national and transnational changes to policing: intelligence gathering and information sharing, as well as equipment supply and transfer and knowledge exchange around training and operations.

We begin this paper with an overview of the key shifts in the military and policing sectors that gave rise to the phenomenon of ‘Warrior Cops’. In contrast to dominant narratives of police militarisation that see power and tactics shift directly from the military to the police, we outline what we refer to as the militarization of security, a process through which not only the police, but also judicial and emergency response services, infrastructures, feelings and attitudes become transformed in ways that position the need for warriors against the threat of risky spaces and vulnerable bodies.

For any enquiries regarding the Social Science seminar series please contact Dr Mastoureh Fathi: mfathi@bournemouth.ac.uk

November 18, 2015

CIPPM Project Copyrightuser.org wins AHRC Research in Film Award

Awarded & submitted bids, Fusion Investment Fund, PG research, Post-award, Public engagement, REF Subjects, Research themes cippm

An animated film on Copyrightuser.org titled The Adventure of the Girl with the Light Blue Hair won an AHRC Research in Film Award on 12 November 2015 at an Awards Ceremony hosted at the British Film Institute, Southbank London.

Copyrightuser.org is an online resource, which makes copyright law accessible to creators, teachers, students and members of the public. The project began with Bournemouth University’s Fusion Investment Fund in 2012 after which, the project has been successfully funded by RCUK/AHRC since 2013.

It is a collaborative project carried out by the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management (CIPPM) Bournemouth University and CREATe, University of Glasgow.

The animated film was short-listed for the AHRC 10^th Anniversary Research in Film Award within the category Award for Innovation in Film – Best Film in the Year and beat another four contenders to win the award.

The panel of judges – consisting of industry and academic experts such as film director Beeban Kidron, Financial Times Arts Editor Jan Dalley, and actor and producer Diana Quick – described the film as “a well-constructed, quality animation addressing issues of creativity, IP and copyright for schools and undergraduates: lively, engaging, witty (à la Sherlock Holmes mode), informative and educating at the same time.”

The Adventure of the Girl with the Light Blue Hair is the first episode of The Game is On!, web series and is produced by Mr. Bartolomeo Meletti (CREATe, University of Glasgow) and Professor Ronan Deazley (Queens University Belfast). The film draws inspiration from Sherlock Holmes and other well-known copyright and public domain works and provides a springboard for exploring various copyright concepts.

It forms part of a suite of online learning materials for students and teachers in the UK while educating the wider public about what can and cannot be done with copyright works. To achieve this aim, researchers working on Copyrightuser.org produced both video and textual material.

The animated film is enhanced by 12 ‘Case Files’ authored by Ms. Hayleigh Bosher and Dr. Dinusha Mendis (CIPPM, Bournemouth University), which draws on the various elements of the film to explore key principles and ideas underpinning copyright law, creativity, and the limits of lawful appropriation and reuse.

The educational materials also include Copyright for A Level Media Studies authored by Ms. Hayleigh Bosher and Dr. Dinusha Mendis (CIPPM, Bournemouth University) – an educational web resource which addresses the AS/A Level Unit Critical Perspectives in Media, Section B: Contemporary Media Issues.

The AHRC Research in Film Awards is designed to recognise the creative and innovative work being undertaken at the interface between research and film. All the winners and full versions of the films can be seen here.

November 13, 2015

BU’s Law Academic to present at Austrian Ministry of Defense’s Annual Symposium on Hybrid Threats

conferences, international, Public engagement, staff profile pages sbachmann

Sascha Dov Bachmann, Associate Professor in International Law, FMC, Convener Environment & Threats Strategic Research Group and Co-Director Research Cluster Conflict, Rule of Law and Society will present on his ongoing work on Hybrid Warfare at this year’s Annual Symposium (Jahrestagung) of Austria’s Ministry of Defense on 18 November 2015. Invited by the Organizers from the Wissenschaftskommission of the Bundesministerium fuer Landesverteidigung und Sport the event brings together leading experts on the topic of Hybrid Threats and seeks to give answers to present security threats such as economic warfare, hybrid threats, cyber warfare, media in conflict, social cohesion and its potential for conflict, migration wars and Russia’s new non linear warfare. Sascha will use his existing work on hybrid warfare https://twitter.com/GJIA_Online/media which is in collaboration with colleagues from the Swedish Defense University and NATO to discuss the origins of Hybrid Warfare and its contemporary use by Russia in the form of non linear warfare. He argues that Hybrid Warfare represents a Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) and that Western Defense doctrines have to adapt.

November 2, 2015

Faculty of Media and Communication Seminar Series – this week – Richard Norrie from Demos

Daniel Jackson

We are delighted to invite you to this week’s Faculty Seminar Series, hosted by the Politics and Media Research Group. It is this weds 4 November, 3-4pm in the screening room (W240), Weymouth house.

It is Dr Richard Norrie from the think tank Demos. See below for his abstract and bio. It promises to be a fascinating talk on the topical issue of immigration and integration.

No need to book – just come along

All welcome!

The ‘is’ and ‘ought’ of integration

In a recent speech David Cameron announced a new review to be led by Louise Casey into how integration and opportunities can be increased in divided communities. The philosopher David Hume famously argued that when it came to questions of morality, it was impossible to say what should be based on what exists – in short, you cannot get an ‘ought’ from an ‘is’. But still, whatever Casey’s review will recommend will have to reconcile what we would like to see in our communities with what is possible given the existing conditions. This presentation is all about how evidence on ethnic and religious integration can be used in order to allow us a better understanding of what can be done in order to improve things. In essence, the question is what are the constraints placed by ‘what is’ on ‘what ought to be’?

At the think tank Demos, we have recently completed the first stage of major research repository called the Integration Hubas led by David Goodhart. This website aims to bring together much of the available evidence and research on the key questions pertaining to integration. In this presentation I will review what we know about integration in terms of differences in residential patterns, economic outcomes, everyday social life, education, and identity. Then, I will present an empirical model of integration in the towns and cities of England and Wales. Provisional analysis has so far identified two key dimensions of integration – a situational dimension reflecting differences in where and how people live and an identity based dimension reflecting people’s strength of commitment to Britain.

Throughout, I shall be returning to the questions of what is right and what is wrong in terms of integration and what can be done given the evidence we have and the limitations imposed on us.

Dr Richard Norrie is an Associate Researcher at Demos and the lead analyst on the Integration Hub website.

His research interests include ethnic integration, political participation, religiosity, and civil society. He has co-authored reports on populist political parties in Europe, how immigration is discussed on social media, and online misogyny. He specialises in quantitative research methods.

He holds degrees from the Universities of Warwick, Oxford, and Cologne. His doctorate was awarded in 2014 with a thesis written on the subject of country context, religiosity, and participation in public life.

October 7, 2015

Geographical Indications in the EU: policy options and future developments.

ncoppola

Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management (CIPPM) researcher Nicola Coppola recently hosted a symposium on “Geographical Indications in the EU: policy options and future developments’. The event, sponsored by Grana Padano and CIPPM, was attended by some of the main UK and European scholars in the field, as well as by experts from DEFRA, UK Intellectual Property Office and WIPO.

Law PGR Evangelia Papadaki and UG Law students Hannah Pateman and Edwin Osejindu, coordinated by Kerry Rowland-Hill from the Events office, helped with the organization of the symposium. The event also benefitted from the expertise of BU RKEO and of senior CIPPM members, including CIPPM Director Prof Maurizio Borghi, who opened the morning session.

The speakers and delegates explored various aspects of the EU legal schemes aimed at protecting those agricultural products which have a link with a geographic place, and the variety of legal challenges surrounding the proposed expansion of such schemes to non-agricultural products.

The symposium on GIs, the first for a long time in UK academia, generated new ideas to be explored, with the intention of working up one of these ideas as funding applications and co-authored publications.

More info, including the list of speakers, can be found on the CIPPM website at:

https://microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk/cippm/2015/09/11/symposium-geographical-indications-in-the-eu/

October 1, 2015

CIPPM Researchers Present at the European Policy for Intellectual Property (EPIP) Conference

PG research, Public engagement, Research themes cippm

The 10th Annual Conference of European Policy for Intellectual Property (EPIP) was hosted by CREATe, the RCUK Centre for Copyright and New Business Models in the Creative Economy at the University of Glasgow, on 2 and 3 September 2015.

Opening the conference in the beautiful setting of the Chapel, Professor Ian Hargreaves, Professor of Digital Economy and the author of ‘Digital Opportunity: A Review of IP and Growth’ delivered the keynote speech on ‘Copyright Wars: Frozen Conflict’ to which a thought-provoking response was delivered by MEP, Julia Reda (Greens/EFA Group/Pirate Party). The video of the keynote including the transcript and MEP Julia Reda’s response is available here.

During the 2-days, a number of Researchers from the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management (CIPPM) including Maurizio Borghi, Dinusha Mendis, Ruth Towse, Marcella Favale and Sally Weston attended and presented at the conference.

Marcella Favale presented her paper co-authored with Martin Kretschmer and Paul Torremans Is There a EU Copyright Jurisprudence? An empirical analysis of the workings of the European Court of Justice.

Ruth Towse presented her paper on Copyright and business models in music publishing: the law and the market (as part of the AHRC-funded project Evolution in Music Publishing).

Maurizio Borghi presented on Crowdsourcing the orphan works problem (as part of the recently funded EnDOW project). The EnDOW Project is led by CIPPM and carried out in partnership with CREATe, University of Glasgow, ASK, University of Bocconi and IViR, University of Amsterdam.

Sally Weston presented on Encouraging interoperability by the sharing of interface information obtained by reverse engineering – as part of the research carried out for her PhD project.

Dinusha Mendis presented and led a panel on A Legal and Empirical Study into the Intellectual Property Implications of 3D Printing – Conclusions and Recommendations (as part of a project commissioned and funded by the UK Intellectual Property Office). The other panel members who also contributed to the commissioned project and presented on the Panel included Dr. Davide Secchi (University of Southern Denmark), Ms. Sophie Jones (Stratasys Strategic Consulting) and Ms. Pippa Hall of the UK Intellectual Property Office who spoke about next steps in relation to policy and reform in the area of 3D printing and IP Law.

In the same manner that the Conference commenced, the 2-day Conference was brought to a close by an equally excellent closing keynote speech by Professor Pamuela Samuelson, Richard M. Sherman Distinguished Professor of Law from Berkeley Law School. The closing keynote can be found here. Professor Samuelson spoke about the challenges and opportunities brought about evidence-based IP policy and concluded her keynote and the Conference by stating: “I think that evidence based IP policy is a theme worth pursuing. It’s not always going to win but it gives this community something useful to debate and to offer to policy makers. Like Julia Reda, I think reform is possible but it’s not going to be easy, and generational change will probably make more of a difference than anything we write today”.

October 1, 2015

Bournemouth University listed in top 800 global universities

REF Subjects, Research assessment Edwin van Teijlingen

Bournemouth University ranked just over the half way line in the top 800 universities in the world. Bournemouth University is in good company in the bracket (401-500) with other well-known universities such as the University of Cagliari (Italy), Charles University in Prague (Czech Republic), Curtin University (Australia), University of Waikato (New Zealand), Louisiana State University (USA) or the University of Tampere (Finland) to name but a few.

The full list of 800 universities is available here!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMMPH

September 3, 2015

Fusion co-creation project involving BU students and partners in Kosovo: rethinking post-war reconciliation via ‘gaming’ technology

Awarded & submitted bids, Festival of Learning, Fusion, Fusion Investment Fund, innovation, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer, Research themes sssievers

In post-war societies such as in the Western Balkans, war monuments may serve to preserve a single narrative of the past. Sometime the intention is to shape future generations’ understanding of conflict, thereby perpetuating militant potentials and societal divisions. But how do young visitors really experience such war monuments? Our fusion-funded project aims to foster conflict transformation (reconciliation) by facilitating young people’s engagement with a plurality of narratives while simultaneously nurturing empathy and recognition of the cultural heritage of war via contemporary gaming technology.

BU’s fusion approach encouraged me, a Balkan specialist and social anthropologist, to seek collaboration across faculties with Dr Avital Biran (‘dark tourism’/FM); Dr Melanie Klinkner (‘transitional justice’/ FMC); and Assoc. Prof. Feng Tian (‘gaming’/ FST). The new fusion-funded project is directly related to our Conflict Transformation Studies Team’s contribution to a major European Union Horizon 2020 bid: a working package on enhancing visitors’ perception and consumption of memorials via gamification, submitted in May 2015 (Reflective Societies, RED 8756).

The team presented its overarching research concept at BU’s Interdisciplinary Week on 12 May with our interactive session on Transforming conflict after war: memory, heritage and digital media. With support of two consecutive Undergraduate Research Assistants, a social anthropological spin-off exercise entitled Reconciliation-in-Practice was then conducted at the Festival of Learning. During the sessions, to which also Wendy Cutts (FHSS) contributed, we challenged participants’ assumptions about the ease with which reconciliation expectations can be exported to countries of Western geo-political interest after war and conflict.

This fusion-funded sequel aims to co-opt interested student from different disciplines into the process of story line development and game design based on post-war memory at selected sites in Kosovo. As part of FiF strand Co-creation and Co-production, collaborations will not just include students and staff from BU’s four faculties but also external stakeholders in post-war Kosovo. We hope to include local students and colleagues of University of Prishtina, Human Rights activists, the British Council, site managers and artists.

Pending ethics approval and faculty support, our aim is – with help of the creative abilities of all involved students and partners – to explore the potentials of ‘gaming’ for education and enhancing visitors’ experience at heritage sites. We plan to, firstly, research the challenges associated with contested memorials in Kosovo; secondly, develop ideas for a story-line for gaming to promote tolerance and understanding; thirdly, explore the possibilities of designing a ‘serious game’; and, finally, under the leadership of Feng Tian, devise a Game Development Document (GDD) which may serve as a blue print for the application of gaming at post-conflict sites.

Dr Stephanie Schwandner-Sievers
Faculty of Health & Social Sciences
sssievers@bournemouth.ac.uk

July 15, 2015

From Stour Valley to Silicon Valley-Dr. Dinusha Mendis on Research Leave in Stanford University California

Awarded & submitted bids, Fusion, Fusion Investment Fund, PG research, Post-award, Public engagement cippm

In January 2015, Dr. Dinusha Mendis, Associate Professor in Law and Co-Director of the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management (CIPPM) in the Faculty of Media and Communications was awarded a period of research leave funded by the Fusion Investment Fund which commenced on 1 January 2015. The study leave was granted to further Dr. Mendis’ research into the digital aspects of Copyright Law and the Intellectual Property (IP) Implications of 3D Printing.

Since 1 January 2015, Dr. Mendis has held appointments as Visiting Fellow at University of Bocconi in Italy and as Lord Provost Fellow at University of Tasmania in Australia. For further information about the collaborative work carried out by Dr. Mendis during this time, please see here (BU Research Blog post dated 13 March 2015).

Dr. Mendis will complete her research leave in July 2015 having spent two months as a Visiting Scholar at Stanford Law School, Stanford University California.

During her time as a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University, Dr. Mendis was involved in working with Professor Mark Lemley of Stanford Law School, to further her research into the intellectual property implications of 3D printing. Sponsored by Professor Lemley, Dr. Mendis utilised the time at Stanford to complete two research papers (to be published in Autumn 2015) and collaborate with IP experts from University of California, Berkeley; Emory University; Georgia Tech University and Indiana University in taking forward a project in the area of 3D printing and intellectual property implications.

The Research Leave was made possible by the generous support of Bournemouth University’s Fusion Investment Fund which in turn led to the Visiting appointments for which Dr. Mendis is very grateful.

The appointments have all proved to be very productive and rewarding in taking forward the research on the IP implications of 3D printing. The final appointment, which involved being a Visiting Scholar at Stanford Law School was a very positive experience – and will be an unforgettable one.

May 22, 2015

Hybrid War as 21st Century Conflict

PG research, REF Subjects sbachmann

The emergence of Hybrid Threats and Hybrid War as new security challenges of the 21st Century – from its early examples in Israels war against Hezbollah in 2006 to Russia’s War in Eastern Ukraine. Dr. Sascha Dov Bachmann, Associate Professor in Law, Co-Director of BU’s Conflict, Rule of Law and Society( https://research.bournemouth.ac.uk/centre/conflict-rule-of-law-and-society/) presented at the 24th Annual SLS-BIICL Conference on Theory and International Law at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law in London. He argues that Hybrid War is more than Compound Warfare by utilising new technologies of cyber and Hybrid Threats. His work on teh subject was recently published as HYBRID WARS: THE 21st-CENTURY’S NEW THREATS TO GLOBAL PEACE AND SECURITY in the South African Journal of Military Studies, http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/1110/1107.

May 7, 2015

Reverse Mentoring, Fusion and Threshold Concepts

Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer, Public engagement, REF Subjects, student research gretad

Writing a blog post about our experience at the ABS (Association of Business Schools’) annual conference on Learning, Teaching and Student Experience, 27-29 April 2015, has proven to be a great way to fill in the time waiting for a plane back from York, UK!

Louise (Preget), Deborah (Taylor) and I (Milena Bobeva) had been to York to present the work from the first stage of the Fusion project on Reverse Mentoring (RvM) in Higher Education. This student:staff co-creation/co-production project examines RvM, a strategy where younger, less experienced employees share their knowledge and expertise with a more senior person. Our team has studied industry practices as viewed and experienced by our placement and post-placement students.

The conference was a brilliant opportunity for academics within UK Business Schools to share and showcase best practice in a number of key streams including internationalisation, blended learning, the changing student and employability. Bournemouth University had a strong lobby there with five academics and three publications, including two by Dr Sukanya Ayatakshi, who presented some assessment and engagement practices on the fully online International Business and Management undergraduate programme.

There was unanimous agreement amongst the BU team that the most interesting session at the conference was the talk on ‘Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge’ delivered by Prof. Ray Land from Durham University. It stressed the importance of challenging our habitual practices as both learners and educators and made us recognise RvM as a threshold concept. Further detail of this seminal work is available here and on this website.
For those interested in finding out more about reverse mentoring and the findings of the Fusion project, we will be running a session at the Festival of Learning: 3-5pm on the 14^th July 2015 in PG142-144.

May 1, 2015

CIPPM Co-Director publishes three Reports for the UK Government detailing the IP Implications of 3D Printing

Awarded & submitted bids, Business Engagement, Post-award, Publishing, Research themes cippm

CIPPM Co-Director Dr. Dinusha Mendis together with Dr. Davide Secchi (From April 2015, Associate Professor, University of Southern Denmark) and Dr. Phil Reeves of Econolyst Ltd have published a sequence of three reports on the intellectual property implications of 3D printing resulting from a project commissioned by the UK Intellectual Property Office. The three reports can be accessed here.

In 2012, the Big Innovation Centre, in their Report ‘Three Dimensional Policy: Why Britain needs a policy framework for 3D Printing’ provided a number of recommendations. A key recommendation was to review the intellectual property (IP) implications of 3D printing.

In 2013, the UKIPO highlighted the lack of empirical evidence relating to 3D printing and the difficulty in determining whether this emerging technology will have an impact on IP laws. The aim of the current project was therefore to respond to this limited research. In doing so, the Studies adopted a legal, quantitative and qualitative approach.

Study I titled ‘A Legal and Empirical Study of Online Platforms and an Analysis of User Behaviour’ explores 17 online platforms dedicated to 3D printing and provides a legal and empirical overview of how the online platforms operate and aims to provide a clearer understanding of ‘how’ the sharing happens. In this context, Study I provides an understanding of the ‘parameters’ for sharing, e.g. terms and conditions, rules and regulations that apply, together with restrictions and bounds that apply to the user behaviour and file-sharing. As such, Study I evaluates the extent of this phenomenon amongst users. In doing so, the research examines the price, downloads, licences, type of physical objects, which are shared and the implications for intellectual property laws and in particular analyses the legal provisions arising from the sharing and the copyright implications relating to software. As such, Study I presents new findings on the current status of 3D printing relating to online platforms.

Study II titled ‘The Current Status and Impact of 3D Printing Within the Industrial Sector: An Analysis of Six Case Studies’ explores the status, impact and adoption of 3D printing in the Replacement Parts, Customised Goods and High Value Small Status Goods Industries.

To map the impact that 3D printing technology is having on the UK’s economic and legal landscape, Study II represents six case studies which consider the current and future consequence of 3D printing. The first two case studies address issues relating to Replacement Parts and consider how 3D printing will affect the supply of aftermarket parts to the consumer. The two case studies within the Customised Goods theme address how 3D printing enables unique products to be manufactured that are tailored to consumers’ needs, and the IP challenges that arise from this. Finally, the two case studies within the High Value Small Status Goods theme look at the impact that 3D printing is having on consumer products that have a low functional purpose, such as collectible figurines or sculptures.

The third publication – an Executive Summary – brings together the findings and conclusions from the two Studies and provides recommendations.

The Studies concluded that there is no urgency to legislate at present as 3D printing is not a mass phenomenon yet. It warned that a premature call for legislative and judicial action in the realm of 3D printing could stifle the public interest of “fostering creativity and innovation and the right of manufacturers and content creators to protect their livelihoods”.

However, as 3D printing continues to grow it is important to address the IP issues arising in this area in order to cultivate a climate better suited to tackling impending IP issues more successfully and in a manner, which takes into account the interests of all stakeholders.

As such, the Studies make some important recommendations to Government, the Industry and Intermediaries (online platforms) about how to regulate 3D printing without resorting to legislation.

Recommendations to Government suggest the setting up of a Working Group to review the technology and the IP status particularly the position in relation to the software (Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Files) and the traceability of spare parts. The Reports also suggest that the Government should adopt a ‘wait-and-see’ approach.

The Studies conclude that 65% of users engaged in the activities of 3D printing on online platforms do not license their work, leaving their creations vulnerable and open to infringement whilst losing the ability to claim authorship. The Study therefore recommends that online platforms provide more awareness and understanding of the different types of licences. The Study suggests that this aim can be achieved by explaining the nuances relating to each licence in clear and simple language, rather than simply ‘encouraging’ the user to adopt a particular type of licence. Furthermore, online platforms can assign the most appropriate licence as a default with ‘opt-out’ as an option.

Finally, in relation to Industry, the Study recommends the adoption of new business models and provides a number of suggestions in this regard. The Reports also suggest the licensing of CAD files more widely, thereby opening up doors to a range of outlets selling 3D CAD files. This will avoid locking the manufacturer into an agreement through a system such as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for (spare) parts. Although a one-stop-shop may take away the costs of manufacture, transportation and storage whilst reducing potential infringement of IP laws, it can lead to a monopoly-situation, which should be avoided.

A press release led to the research being picked up by various media outlets including IPP Pro, Pan European Networks, Phys.org, Nanowerk and 3Dprint.com amongst others.

A further write-up of the research was published by the UKIPO following the publication of the reports. Bournemouth University’s Research Chronicle also presented a feature article in March 2015 on the research and its findings.

Following the publication of the reports, Dr. Dinusha Mendis, the Principal Investigator of the project, was invited by the Australian Government to present the research in March 2015, highlighting the impact of this research in another jurisdiction. Dr. Mendis also presented the research in March at the University of Tasmania in Australia and the Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne.

April 30, 2015

The social sciences at BU

Research assessment brichards

In response to an open email invitation, a group of social scientists from across BU met on Tuesday 17 March to discuss prospects for inter-Faculty collaboration. As in previous meetings between FMC and HSS colleagues, it was apparent that there were opportunities for more collaborative work than currently exists, and that there is considerable enthusiasm for developing links. A growing presence of the social sciences in BU, and of BU in the social sciences, was felt to be essential to BU’s development as a university with a rich intellectual community. If you haven’t received the report from this meeting by email, and would like to do so, please email Prof. Barry Richards (brichards@bmth.ac.uk)

April 1, 2015

EU Radar – Societal Challenges – Secure societies – protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens

Funding opportunities Emily Cieciura

The following EU Horizon 2020 Societal Challenges’ calls are all closing after April 2015. If you are thinking of applying to any of these calls, please contact RKEO Funding Development Team as soon as you are able, so that we can help you with your submission.

The date given is the funder’s deadline with all closing at 17:00 Brussels local time, unless stated otherwise

Secure societies – protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens

Digital security,: Cyber security, privacy and trust – please check the specific topics – 27/8/15

Disaster resilience: Safeguarding and securing society, including adapting to climate change– please check the specific topics – 27/8/15

Fight against terrorism and crime – please check the specific topics – 27/8/15

Border security and external security – please check the specific topics – 27/8/15

General / Multiple Topics

Horizon 2020 dedicated SME instrument phase 1 and phase 2 – deadlines – 17/6/15, 17/9/15 and 25/11/15

Please check the specific topics within this call which may meet your research funding needs.

For more information on EU funding opportunities, contact Paul Lynch or Emily Cieciura, in the RKEO Funding Development Team.

March 13, 2015

Fusion Investment Fund (Study Leave Strand): Dr. Dinusha Mendis on Research Leave in Italy and Australia

Awarded & submitted bids, Fusion, Post-award, Public engagement, REF Subjects cippm

Dr. Dinusha Mendis, Associate Professor in Law and Co-Director of the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management (CIPPM) in the Faculty of Media and Communications was awarded a period of research leave funded by the Fusion Investment Fund which commenced on 1 January 2015.

The research leave was granted for Dr. Mendis to further her research into the digital aspects of Copyright Law and the Intellectual Property (IP) Implications of 3D Printing.

During January-February 2015, Dr. Mendis spent time at the University of Bocconi, Milan in the capacity of a Visiting Fellow. During this time she collaborated with researchers at the Art, Science and Knowledge (ASK) Centre at Bocconi University, in particular with Professor Maria Lilla Montagni (currently Research Fellow at the Harvard Law School).

In February, Dr. Mendis travelled to the University of Tasmania (UTAS), Australia and is currently based there as Lord Provost Fellow involved in collaboration work with Professor Dianne Nicol and Dr. Jane Nielsen of the Faculty of Law, UTAS. The collaboration work involves considering the IP implications of 3D Printing.

The time has also been utilised to collaborate with colleagues at Melbourne University, Monash University and Swinburne University of Technology where Dr. Mendis was invited to present her recent research, which she carried out for the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO). The presentation formed part of the ‘Innovation Seminar Series’, organised by the Centre for Transformative Innovation at Swinburne University of Technology.

Dr. Mendis was also invited to present her research at a Staff Seminar at UTAS, in her capacity as Visiting Fellow. The presentation which showcased the findings, conclusions and recommendation of the UKIPO Commissioned Project on the IP Implications of 3D Printing, also provided an overview of Copyrightuser.org – a project which Dinusha has been involved in since 2012 and carried out in collaboration with CREATe, University of Glasgow and CEMP, Bournemouth University.

The Fellowship at UTAS, which began in February will be completed at the end of March 2015 and will further include collaboration meetings with Associate Professor Matthew Rimmer of the College of Law, Australian National University, Canberra.

The collaboration work which is currently being carried out as part of the Research Leave will culminate in a number of outputs, specifically peer-reviewed journal articles and an edited book.

In January 2015, Dr. Mendis’s Commissioned article, titled ‘Clone Wars Episode II – The Next Generation: The Copyright Implications of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Files was published in a peer-reviewed academic journal Law, Innovation and Technology (Hart Publishing) (pp. 265-281).

January 22, 2015

CIPPM Members present research co-funded by the UKIPO and ESRC on Copyright and the Public Domain

Awarded & submitted bids, Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement cippm

The Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management’s Co-Director, Dr. Dinusha Mendis and CIPPM Member, Dr. Fabian Homberg presented their research on ‘Valuing the Public Domain’ – a collaboration with CREATe, University of Glasgow – on 5th December 2014, at Digital Catapult, London.

‘Valuing the Public Domain’ is a major research and knowledge exchange project carried out in collaboration with CREATe, University of Glasgow and is co-funded by the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The purpose of the project is 1) to map the size of the public domain and frequency of its use; 2) analyse the role of public domain works in value creation for UK firms; and 3) assist UK media companies to identify business models that benefit from the public domain.

The half-day event brought together project researchers and transmedia businesses to explore and discuss the results of the study. During the discussions, a number of significant questions were addressed including (a) what does the availability and use of the rich tradition of public domain materials in this country mean for UK creative industries?; (b) how can SMEs and other businesses leverage the public domain effectively to generate value?; and (c) what are the emerging market trends and practices that will hinder or enable access to public domain materials in the future?

Following the event in December, the final report authored by Dr. Kris Erickson, Professor Paul Heald, Dr. Fabian Homberg, Professor Martin Kretschmer and Dr. Dinusha Mendis was published in March 2015 and can be accessed here..

BU Research Blog

Category / Law