September 2009
Poppet International Wins LESI Global Award In Grad Student CompetitionPoppet wins $5,000 for plan to develop single-use infant beverage closure incorporating a sterile infant nipple
Graduate students from Swinburne University of Technology (Australia) received the Licensing Executives Society International’s (LESI) prestigious Global Award for their plan to bring safe, ready-to-drink infant beverages to the globe using a revolutionary packaging system.
Poppet International is a development company specializing in patented, technology-based manufacturing solutions that will bring single use ready-to-drink infant beverages to the world in sterile, recyclable baby bottles. Each bottle is equipped with a revolutionary molded plastic closure, which when snapped off exposes a safe, recyclable nipple that is specially designed to allow for accurate flow control.
“There is a huge international market for ready-to drink long-life infant formulas, sterile water, rehydration drinks, infant suitable juices and vaccines,” said Peter Bares managing director. “In fact, estimates show there is demand for in excess of two billion infant beverages closures per year in the developed world, capable of a growth pattern mimicking the spectacular rise in the sales of pull-up sports bottle closures. Our concept will not only help busy parents, but also hospitals, day-care centers and other child care facilities.”
Poppet was one of five student teams that competed in the Final Round of the LES Foundation’s 2009 International Graduate Student Business Plan Competition.
Now in its 6th year, this intellectual property (IP)-focused Competition not only simulates a real-world venture capital experience for students, but also provides them with a competitive advantage through educational offerings, valuable industry networking opportunities and mentoring from LES and LESI members.
Each year, LESI presents its Global Award and a $5,000 cash prize to the team whose plan best deals with IP rights and their use in the global business environment.
This is the second consecutive win for Swinburne University of Technology.
“We are very happy to continue to support the international component of this great competition,” said Adam Liberman, LESI President. “These students are not only the future of LES as a worldwide organization, but also the future so far as the business of IP is concerned, in whatever industry they ultimately join.”
The Grand Prize winner of this year’s LES Foundation Graduate Student Business Plan Competition was Pax Neuroscience Inc., from the University of Illinois-Chicago for their plan to leverage groundbreaking biotechnology to better understand, diagnosis and treat depression.
In addition to a $10,000 cash prize, the Pax team will receive in-kind prizes worth up to $50,000 from Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear; Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner; and, 24IP Law Group.
The Competition also saw support this year from the Montreal law firm BCF LLP (Avocats) and from the Kauffman Foundation.
LES Foundation Competition runner-up teams each won $1,000, including:
- CounselLink Pty Ltd., from Swinburne University of Technology (Australia);
- Ground Up Biosolutions, LLC from the University of Arkansas (USA); and,
- PassPro-tech™ from the University of Texas at Dallas (USA).
This year, nearly 60 business plans were submitted from around the world, up from 8 entries in 2007. The plans were assessed on a variety of factors including quality of the IP and licensing component, attractiveness of the venture, quality of the product or service offered, market opportunity and investment potential.
July 21, 2009
Editor's Note: Evolving Marketplace for IP
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is having hearings on the "Evolving Marketplace for IP". They got their hands on the last issue of les Nouvelles (March, 2009) and hauled me in at short notice last week to talk about the latest LES Foundation survey results on trolls. (I also snuck in a few highlights from previous surveys, see attached.) I did get some very positive feedback from the FTC staff about how informative the various published articles have been -- "an oasis of data in a desert of opinion" so kudos to the Foundation and all concerned.
May 12, 2009
The 2009 Competition took place May 4 at the LES USA/Canada Spring Meeting in Montreal. Finalist teams received complimentary registration for the meeting, as well as free travel and lodging in Montreal. Teams also benefited from the evaluation and feedback from LES members who served as judges as well as the opportunity to network with hundreds of licensing professionals that attended the meeting.
For more information on the Competition, and the work of the LES Foundation, please visit www.lesfoundation.org.
April 30, 2009
Submission to EPO on computer-implemented inventions: LESI written statements in accordance with Article 10 of the Rules of Procedure of the Enlarged Board of Appeal on the case G3/08 -
read the submission
April 20, 2009
President's message - Preparing for the Manila Conference, Some Exciting Initiatives and More. Adam Liberman provides members with his latest communique-
read here
March 24, 2009
Patent Litigation Report: The Commission sets out next steps for creation of unified patent litigation system -
read more
March 23, 2009
European and Community Patent Courts and Draft Statute: Draft Agreement on the European and Community1 Patents Court and Draft Statute -
more
March 2, 2009
New website and membership directory. Adam Liberman recently communicated with all LESI members to announce improvements in the website and membership directory -
read the letter here
March 1, 2009
Visit a new linked page at www.twitter.com/lesi_comms for information about the Communications Committee’s plans to improve the features and functionality of the new web site; Also visit and
www.lesinews.blogspot.com to read and respond to the President’s blog.
February 25, 2009
European Patents Court - Economic Study: This report recommends strongly that the Presidency should proceed in its efforts to establish a unified and integrated patent litigation system for European patents and future Community patents. For conservative estimates of the relevant parameters, the economic benefits from such a system are likely to exceed the costs of the establishment and operation of the new court by a large multiple of between 5.4 and 10.5. Moreover, with prudent design choices it should be possible to implement a litigation system that will be balanced and supportive of overall efforts to improve the quality of patents in Europe -
read full study
February 20, 2009
CLP Exam Now Available at More than 400 International Test Sites - Candidates for the CLP (
Certified
Licensing
Professional) credential can now opt to take the exam at one of more than 400 test sites worldwide. The CLP exam will be offered in 2009 in March and September. Click here to apply for the exam,
http://www.castleworldwide.com/clp/ You can choose an international test site during the scheduling phase of the application process.
January 30, 2009
LESI response on horizontal co-operation agreements: Response of LESI to European Commission review of current regime for the assessment of horizontal co-operation agreements -
read more
January 30, 2009
LESI comments in response to Pharmaceutical sector enquiry: Comments of the LESI European Committee in response to the pharmaceutical sector enquiry preliminary report published by the European Commission (DG Competition) -
read more
December 10, 2008
Looking To The Future - A Year Of Bold New Ideas And Actions - Adam Liberman, President, LES International sets out his agenda based on the theme of “Looking to the future—a year of bold new ideas and actions.”
Read now
December 1, 2008
Report of Study on Distribution Channels, Part "Safe Medicines through Parallel Trade" In 2006, DG Enterprise and Industry launched a study to assess aspects of patient safety related to parallel trade with medicines. An external contractor, Europe Economics, has now presented results of the study to the European Commission after Member States and stakeholders had the opportunity to provide data and views. The report includes a contribution to an assessment of social, economic and environmental impacts on various policy options to address any possible shortcomings. The report of the contractor, Europe Economics, and its annexes are now made
publicly available.
November 28, 2009
European Patent Office queries aspects of EC's pharma enquiry report: Comments from the EPO -
further details.
November 1, 2008
LES BioPharmaceutical Royalty Rates and Deal Terms Survey Report – This valuable new report, developed by LES USA and Canada, provides important benchmark data on over 150 recent licensing deals in a range of therapeutic areas. The full report includes over 100 pages of charts and data on the prevailing royalty rates, milestone payments, and other key deal terms.
For a complete report of the Royalty Rate Survey, click
here.
November 1, 2008
Young Members Task ForceLESI has formed a task force to further meet the networking and professional needs of members under the age of forty (40). Goals of this working group include:
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Increasing the number of active members under the age of 40 within LES member societies.
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Encouraging participation and networking by young members at LESI events through organization of unique educational and social programs; and,
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Mentoring young executives for participation and leadership at LESI Board, Delegate and Committee levels as well as to make LESI officers aware of the interest, accomplishments and contributions of younger members.
If you are under the age of 40 and are interested in participating, please contact the Task Force at:
youngmembers@lesi.org. A first organizational meeting is planned in conjunction with the LESI Delegates Meeting and LES USA & Canada Annual Meeting in September 2009.
To find out how to participate in the next Graduate Student Business Plan Competition in May 2009, click
here.
