A Collective Resource would provide the following services:

  1. IP Strategy and Expert Advice. The Collective Resource will engage with early-staged ventures and SMEs to generate a deeper understanding of the IP ecosystem and the value of developing an IP strategy, such as through best practice programs and IP audits conducted by experts.The IP advisory assistance will range from high-level directional advice to directed business advice via internal IP staff or external IP service providers through facilitated negotiated fee reductions on third party IP services. The Collective Resource will also engage in consultations with groups that have traditionally been underrepresented or have historically made less frequent use of the IP system, and will both provide access to these services as well as create custom services to support these groups. The support includes providing financial support for IP based services, such as invention disclosure reviews.
     
  2. Prior art and IP intelligence.Prior art libraries will be developed and utilized to reduce the strength of attacks against Ontario’s SMEs from existing IP holders. In particular, the prior art library will assist in building invalidation defenses against operating and non-practicing entities to address patent assertions. The Collective Resource will also provide an IP intelligence database that is sector specific, for business, research and IP strategy planning.
     
  3. IP rights generation.  Generating IP Rights will include a cohesive offering that addresses the management of both registered rights (such as patents) and unregistered IP rights (such as trade secrets and customer agreements).  The Collective Resource will ensure that Ontario-headquartered companies own high-valuable IP and data stocks. For example, the Collective Resource will provide strategic patent generation through financing, funding, or subsidizing patent filings for generation of high-quality patents. The negotiation of pre-set and reduced costs on patent services with accredited third-party service providers (that is, patent prosecution services, IP landscape tool access) is also contemplated. By lumping services together, more competitive rates may be obtained from qualified service providers increasing the yield per dollar spent on IP. At the same time, an increased volume of work will help further build IP expertise in Ontario. The Collective Resource will also work with research institutions to transfer inventions into the hands of industry to generate value for Ontario, including, for example, to patent inventions that otherwise would go un-filed, or avoid abandoning patent rights too early.
     
  4. Patent access and FTO. The Collective Resource will assist with the freedom to operate (FTO) challenges of Ontario SMEs.That assistance includes providing advanced IP generation in return for preferred FTO license access, or acquisition of key patents for FTO for ventures as they scale. The Collective Resource will also secure broad licensing rights to IP portfolios that come available to protect Ontario SMEs, including the securing of those rights from Ontario’s research institutions. The Collective Resource that provides access to global patents will deter IP attacks against Ontario SMEs through a patent pool intended to protect Ontario-generated IP.
     
  5. IP education,The Collective Resource would be responsible for the development, implementation, deployment and maintenance of the IP Education Curriculum as defined in Appendix D.