Startup IP Officers Build Mutual-Aid Group suiP
suiP exists because a startup's first IP hire has no in-house peer and the management decisions around patents fall outside what outside patent firms can advise on, so the group's value is horizontal knowledge-sharing rather than services.
Reporting from 1 source: ASCII.jp.
A Japanese community of in-house intellectual property staff at startups, suiP, has about 75 members and works with the Japan Patent Office to spread IP activity at young companies. Operating member Shigeru Ichikawa of SB Intuitions says startup management often does not grasp what an IP hire does, and that the first IP officer at a startup ends up building the company's IP culture alone.
suiP is run by in-house IP officers and staff at startups, meeting online and offline to swap knowledge, and it works with the Japan Patent Office and related organizations on spreading IP activity at young companies. The premise differs from a large corporation, where an IP department, invention proposal routes, and internal handling rules already exist. At a startup, that premise is mostly absent, and IP staff can read internally as people who only file patents.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- ASCII.jp 社内に知財を語れる人がいない。“ひとり知財”を支える互助会「suiP」