Name: Do patents help or harm innovation?
Uploaded: 2023-07-31T11:18:15.235Z
Duration: 548.04

Milan Ivosevic main video CLEAN 4 .mp4

Milan Ivosevic main video CLEAN 4_.vtt

English

{{00:00:08}}
So, you know, Milan, your role besides
sort of working in kind of heavily in

{{00:00:12}}
innovation in r and d, you actually have
over 50 medical patents under your name.

{{00:00:17}}
Can you tell us, kind of explain what
a patent is and sort of how it's used?

{{00:00:21}}
Very basic definition is, is a  legal
framework that the governments put

{{00:00:27}}
in place to give opportunity and
the right to inventors to benefit

{{00:00:32}}
from their inventions while keeping
other apart for a period of time.

{{00:00:39}}
And  really it's our
right to go and exercise.

{{00:00:42}}
And if you're inventor, this is
actually working well for, for

{{00:00:46}}
individuals and companies to be
protected and exercised, something

{{00:00:49}}
that you're probably very excited and
creative and, and, passionate about.

{{00:00:54}}
Incredible.

{{00:00:55}}
And can you maybe tell us maybe
one or two of the patents that

{{00:00:57}}
you've got kind of going on?

{{00:00:59}}
Actually, in the CooperSurgical my
current company, there is a lot of

{{00:01:02}}
very, very exciting things happening
along the way of the fertility and,

{{00:01:09}}
and,  assisted,  bio technologies.

{{00:01:12}}
But maybe from my previous job we had a
interesting  capillary blood collection

{{00:01:20}}
device and that enable new business model
cross,  cross business collaboration.

{{00:01:27}}
And sometimes,  later, I think this
year or so, there will be an interesting

{{00:01:32}}
developments in diagnostic worlds
where you could, as as individual,

{{00:01:35}}
walk in a retail pharmacy get blood
work done, get results in 24 hours on

{{00:01:40}}
your phone, or your doctor or courier
will stop by at your home, do it.

{{00:01:45}}
Most people painless or minimal
inconvenience and you, you get

{{00:01:48}}
something so, these kind of, and
this is really underlying thing with

{{00:01:52}}
the, with the patents in inventions,
innovations that they enable kind of

{{00:01:57}}
transformations and move us forward
really faster and, and beyond what,

{{00:02:01}}
what would be the current approach.

{{00:02:03}}
Incredible.

{{00:02:04}}
And, you know, how has the patent
system helped you improve the

{{00:02:07}}
science and technology in your field?

{{00:02:09}}
Yeah.

{{00:02:09}}
So, so I think talking about that
perhaps will benefit just stepping back

{{00:02:14}}
and say like, why would governments
put in place that, I call it a legal

{{00:02:20}}
framework and patents, like what's
the, the real purpose of that?

{{00:02:25}}
And if you look at that, that
actually answers a lot of

{{00:02:27}}
questions along those lines.

{{00:02:29}}
And if you think about the type
of advancements and, and the

{{00:02:33}}
leaps that we as a society were
able to achieve historically.

{{00:02:37}}
I mean, think about from the, from
the steam engine and, and industrial

{{00:02:41}}
revolution to, alternate energy
transmission and the the Teslas work

{{00:02:47}}
to, to these days when we are talking
about microprocessors, computers,

{{00:02:52}}
social networks, even ai, all these
technological advancements completely

{{00:02:57}}
transform and move us faster.

{{00:02:59}}
So, So powerfully, and this is really
the main premise behind the patents,

{{00:03:04}}
is the government say, okay, we want to
stimulate those individuals and companies

{{00:03:09}}
who are bringing this to the table.

{{00:03:11}}
And we would like to you know, give,
give you a little advantage, kind of,

{{00:03:15}}
and, and protect you for a time being in
exchange of the knowledge how you do it.

{{00:03:22}}
So you'll benefit first and then we'll
become public knowledge after that

{{00:03:26}}
and everybody else can, can do it.

{{00:03:28}}
And I mean, think about it as, as  any
law or rule, I mean traffic rules.

{{00:03:35}}
We all live by them and see, well,
if there's no traffic rules, they'll

{{00:03:38}}
be really chaos on the streets.

{{00:03:39}}
Well, are they,  people or individuals
who are maybe not following a mission?

{{00:03:44}}
That's the case.

{{00:03:45}}
But does that means we stop
the using the traffic rules?

{{00:03:47}}
No.

{{00:03:48}}
Similarly with patents, it's the
framework that's basic fundamental

{{00:03:53}}
intent, it's, it's very noble.

{{00:03:55}}
It helps society move us forward.

{{00:03:57}}
I'm not even linking
patents in innovation.

{{00:04:01}}
They come as a natural outcome when they
come up with something to protect and

{{00:04:05}}
move forward, but they're not influencing
how and what we invent or anything.

{{00:04:11}}
It's, it's aid for the innovations.

{{00:04:13}}
Right.

{{00:04:13}}
And you know, I think there, there's,
there's still quite a time lag when it

{{00:04:16}}
comes to sort of the actual invention
to getting the patson awarded.

{{00:04:20}}
So, how does this really affect the
design and manufacturing process?

{{00:04:24}}
Oh, that's, that's great question.

{{00:04:26}}
And, and, and you're right,
there is a whole strategy.

{{00:04:28}}
How do you play it out?

{{00:04:30}}
What's the game plan with the patent?

{{00:04:31}}
Because typically I mentioned like we
would, the, we have that license to

{{00:04:37}}
practice government give us, typically
right now is like 20 years now.

{{00:04:42}}
Time coming from medical device.

{{00:04:44}}
Some of those, especially if you're
talking about implants or things

{{00:04:48}}
that, that needs a clinical trial.

{{00:04:50}}
So it might be 5, 6, 7 years until
you have a product, but you want to

{{00:04:55}}
protect it as soon as you have ideas.

{{00:04:57}}
So now, if it's, let's say seven
years for a peacemaker, you know,

{{00:05:02}}
you just eaten seven years out
of your 20 before you're there.

{{00:05:05}}
So there is a little bit of the strategy.

{{00:05:09}}
How you approach it, what you protect
initially, how do you build the fence

{{00:05:13}}
around and this, so that's a little bit
where the this IP art come into play.

{{00:05:19}}
So a lot of innovations are quite
cumulative, drawing from previous

{{00:05:22}}
inventions to move technology on
rather than kind of individually

{{00:05:27}}
kind of having big breakthroughs,
although there are those as well.

{{00:05:29}}
So do you think that the patent
system is helpful or hindrance

{{00:05:34}}
there in this kind of thinking?

{{00:05:36}}
The companies, especially established
companies, they will have a existing

{{00:05:40}}
portfolio of the products that
needs to be refreshed, renewed.

{{00:05:43}}
So what we call the kind of
incremental or sustaining innovations,

{{00:05:47}}
they are equally important.

{{00:05:49}}
Obviously we all like breakthroughs that
make a big bang, but for a good part of

{{00:05:54}}
our economy and companies, the sustaining
in innovations are very important.

{{00:05:58}}
And again, it comes down
to that  patent strategy.

{{00:06:03}}
So you would use different approach if
dealing with the sustaining incremental

{{00:06:08}}
and adding it has to be conscious,
conscious approach of having that roadmap.

{{00:06:14}}
And then, what would be the right cadence
and strategy of adding where the story

{{00:06:20}}
about transformational is more like wow.

{{00:06:23}}
Bigger impact there is, it's also similar,
what would you protect first and then

{{00:06:28}}
how would you build it after that?

{{00:06:31}}
So comes a lot of to the IP
strategy  around those things.

{{00:06:35}}
So, you know, I guess some companies
call non-practicing entities, NPEs,

{{00:06:40}}
they, they buy up small patents
and they, you know, use those to

{{00:06:45}}
get licensing fees from others.

{{00:06:47}}
So have you experienced this and
how has this affected your work?

{{00:06:51}}
I, I have experienced it and yes,
going back to my traffic rule, some

{{00:06:56}}
people use it in intended ways.

{{00:06:58}}
Some people try to find other
creative ways to, to apply the same.

{{00:07:03}}
In my experience, even when I saw
it, it, it gets taken care by the,

{{00:07:08}}
really the economic business reality.

{{00:07:11}}
Because at the end of the day, you
know, if there is, if there is a value

{{00:07:16}}
and the companies wants to license it.

{{00:07:18}}
Okay?

{{00:07:18}}
But in many, many cases,
there's just not enough value.

{{00:07:22}}
So it's just taken care by the
nature of overall reality and

{{00:07:27}}
the and the market dynamics.

{{00:07:30}}
And kind of final bonus question.

{{00:07:32}}
So, you know, in technology we're seeing
this huge influx of open technology and

{{00:07:37}}
open kind of open source technology.

{{00:07:40}}
Obviously patents, it works differently.

{{00:07:42}}
So you have an idea, you wanna
lock that down, you don't

{{00:07:44}}
want anyone else to have it.

{{00:07:45}}
Mm-hmm.

{{00:07:46}}
So if we think about, you know, especially
again in the medical industry, do you ever

{{00:07:50}}
foresee, you know, these innovations being
more aligned with that open source kind of

{{00:07:58}}
technology that people can then innovate
on and, and potentially save more lives?

{{00:08:02}}
Yeah.

{{00:08:02}}
See it's something interesting in the
underlying fabric of what's patentable.

{{00:08:07}}
We're talking about, there are three,
three really main patent categories

{{00:08:11}}
that are innovations or utility patents,
so something for composition of so on.

{{00:08:18}}
There is design patterns of how
something works and there are

{{00:08:20}}
plans, but not like methods in
terms of how you come up and this.

{{00:08:26}}
So you could use, let's say, AI, open
source, come up with unique solution.

{{00:08:31}}
You'll be patenting that unique solution.

{{00:08:34}}
How did you come up to that?

{{00:08:35}}
Well, today, you have all these new
tools that you clearly steer and

{{00:08:40}}
accelerate some, some, some of these,
innovations and open new opportunities.

{{00:08:45}}
And that's good.

{{00:08:46}}
That's good for progress.

{{00:08:47}}
But the end of the day, you're
really, protecting outcome of that.

{{00:08:52}}
Okay.

{{00:08:53}}
And the fact that you have better
tool, that means just more patterns.

{{00:08:56}}
So I, I see it as a positive.

{{00:08:57}}
I don't see it in any way
stopping what's coming there.

So, you know, Milan, your role besides
sort of working in kind of heavily in

innovation in r and d, you actually have
over 50 medical patents under your name.

Can you tell us, kind of explain what
a patent is and sort of how it's used?

Very basic definition is, is a  legal
framework that the governments put

in place to give opportunity and
the right to inventors to benefit

from their inventions while keeping
other apart for a period of time.

And  really it's our
right to go and exercise.

And if you're inventor, this is
actually working well for, for

individuals and companies to be
protected and exercised, something

that you're probably very excited and
creative and, and, passionate about.

And can you maybe tell us maybe
one or two of the patents that

Actually, in the CooperSurgical my
current company, there is a lot of

very, very exciting things happening
along the way of the fertility and,

But maybe from my previous job we had a
interesting  capillary blood collection

device and that enable new business model
cross,  cross business collaboration.

And sometimes,  later, I think this
year or so, there will be an interesting

developments in diagnostic worlds
where you could, as as individual,

walk in a retail pharmacy get blood
work done, get results in 24 hours on

your phone, or your doctor or courier
will stop by at your home, do it.

Most people painless or minimal
inconvenience and you, you get

something so, these kind of, and
this is really underlying thing with

the, with the patents in inventions,
innovations that they enable kind of

transformations and move us forward
really faster and, and beyond what,

And, you know, how has the patent
system helped you improve the

So, so I think talking about that
perhaps will benefit just stepping back

and say like, why would governments
put in place that, I call it a legal

framework and patents, like what's
the, the real purpose of that?

And if you look at that, that
actually answers a lot of

And if you think about the type
of advancements and, and the

leaps that we as a society were
able to achieve historically.

I mean, think about from the, from
the steam engine and, and industrial

revolution to, alternate energy
transmission and the the Teslas work

to, to these days when we are talking
about microprocessors, computers,

social networks, even ai, all these
technological advancements completely

So, So powerfully, and this is really
the main premise behind the patents,

is the government say, okay, we want to
stimulate those individuals and companies

And we would like to you know, give,
give you a little advantage, kind of,

and, and protect you for a time being in
exchange of the knowledge how you do it.

So you'll benefit first and then we'll
become public knowledge after that

And I mean, think about it as, as  any
law or rule, I mean traffic rules.

We all live by them and see, well,
if there's no traffic rules, they'll

Well, are they,  people or individuals
who are maybe not following a mission?

But does that means we stop
the using the traffic rules?

Similarly with patents, it's the
framework that's basic fundamental

I'm not even linking
patents in innovation.

They come as a natural outcome when they
come up with something to protect and

move forward, but they're not influencing
how and what we invent or anything.

And you know, I think there, there's,
there's still quite a time lag when it

comes to sort of the actual invention
to getting the patson awarded.

So, how does this really affect the
design and manufacturing process?

And, and, and you're right,
there is a whole strategy.

Because typically I mentioned like we
would, the, we have that license to

practice government give us, typically
right now is like 20 years now.

Some of those, especially if you're
talking about implants or things

So it might be 5, 6, 7 years until
you have a product, but you want to

So now, if it's, let's say seven
years for a peacemaker, you know,

you just eaten seven years out
of your 20 before you're there.

So there is a little bit of the strategy.

How you approach it, what you protect
initially, how do you build the fence

around and this, so that's a little bit
where the this IP art come into play.

So a lot of innovations are quite
cumulative, drawing from previous

inventions to move technology on
rather than kind of individually

kind of having big breakthroughs,
although there are those as well.

So do you think that the patent
system is helpful or hindrance

The companies, especially established
companies, they will have a existing

portfolio of the products that
needs to be refreshed, renewed.

So what we call the kind of
incremental or sustaining innovations,

Obviously we all like breakthroughs that
make a big bang, but for a good part of

our economy and companies, the sustaining
in innovations are very important.

And again, it comes down
to that  patent strategy.

So you would use different approach if
dealing with the sustaining incremental

and adding it has to be conscious,
conscious approach of having that roadmap.

And then, what would be the right cadence
and strategy of adding where the story

Expert Insight

Great inventors like Alexander Bell, Henry  Ford and Hedy Lamarr followed the innovation right of passage -  patenting their inventions, and in return earned a lot of money from those patents. However, Marie Curie is testament that not every invention requires a patent, as she discovered the chemical element, radium, and rather than patenting, Marie chose to let others build off of her research instead. VP of R&D and Innovation at CooperSurgical, Milan Ivosevic, discusses a patents potential to help, or even harm, innovation.


Innovation

Disruptive innovation

Patents

 Patent Litigation

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Milan Ivosevic

VP of R&D and Innovations

Ivosevic defines patents and explains why governments are trying to stimulate inventors through this legal framework. 


What is a patent?

Oftentimes there's a time lag between inventing and receiving the patent. Ivosevic details the strategy behind timing your patent application. 


Patent-pending

As open-source technologies improve, the potential for new, faster-produced inventions increases too. But, will open-source inventions be patentable? Ivosevic forecasts the future of patentable innovation.