Globalization Needs Nationwide Education in Intellectual Property

—Interview with Robert Stoll, Director of Training and Education, Office of Intellectual Property Policy and Enforcement, United States Patent and Trademark Office

Pei Hong, Zhang Haizhi, China IP News
July 9, 2008  Source: “China Intellectual Property News,” Page 4

“The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) provides a wide range of capacity building programs to improve national intellectual property protection and law enforcement. Our vision is to educate everyone, and we have been trying to do that.” After the “Second Forum of the Presidents of Global Intellectual Property Academies” held not long ago (in Beijng), Robert Stoll, Director of Training and Education, Office of Intellectual Property Policy and Enforcement, USPTO received the exclusive interview of a reporter of China Intellectual Property News.  

On November 1, 1994, Mr. Stoll was appointed Executive Assistant to the U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce and USPTO Director. In this capacity, he was responsible for providing policy and technical support for the two in respect of internal and external IP affairs. When it comes to the IP training in the USA, Stoll, a veteran in the American IP industry, was brimming with confidence and full of expectations for the nationwide education in USA.  

 IP education needs to be globalized.

“Both developing countries and developed countries need an IP system in their economic development to encourage and protect innovations. Strengthening IP protection needs to enhance the awareness and level of IP protection around the globe. Therefore, improving IP training and education has become the direction in which the whole world should direct their efforts,” Stoll believes.  

It was learned that USPTO set up the Global Intellectual Property Academy in 2006, which provides a variety of training programs, thereby laying the foundation for the level of IP protection and law enforcement.  The academy not only trains native people in IP-related industries, but also provides opportunities for advanced studies for the officials of other countries in a bid to boost the global understanding of the IP situation of all countries and create a friendly environment for discussing IP issues. The academy provides IP training with diversified events and arranges programs that suit the particular needs of different countries. It also offers further ideas and plans to suit the needs of the future development of laws and technology.  

 Stoll stressed that American IP training focuses on the staff in the related law enforcement authorities, such as courts and customs, and aims to enhance the IP capability of this group in a relatively stable state of work. The trainees are not limited to the United States. Instead, they also involve worldwide IP workers, especially the law enforcement personnel of customs -- who exercise control over import and export -- also take part in the training, for it is a part of global IP education.

Strive to educate everyone

“The important role of IP is receiving more and more recognition from all countries, while the IP education community very much endorses the idea of educating everyone. We are now attempting to introduce IP themes into education, through teaching plans and course setups.” Stoll pointed out that, while addressing government employees, American IP training has another important task — educate and train the American public by telling them how to apply for patents both inside and outside of the USA, how to protect their own patent, and how to respect the IP of others.  

According to Stoll, the United States is trying to introduce IP education into the daily studies and activities of students so that they can form a sound concept about IP in their early years. A project that is being developed now is to carry out IP education increasingly in elementary schools, high schools and universities through games, jokes and other popular forms, to teach the students to respect and protect IP.

“There is a worldwide gap between the number of IP talents available and actual demand, which gives rise to an urgent need of narrowing the gap through training. The biggest challenge is how to teach according to the ability of different people. Besides, how to make the public more conscious about IP protection is also a difficulty. To educate everyone, it is necessary to cultivate the spirit of invention and creation in childhood and let them understand that inventions are an important step in creating human wealth and the adequate protection of inventions means a lot for the accumulation of the wealth of all mankind,” Stoll emphasized.

 

Remarks: This article is translated in English by eyno Business Consulting (China) LTD