Today is World Intellectual Property Day, an annual celebration of the critical role that intellectual property (IP) plays in incentivizing and protecting creativity and innovation. The Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIE) is the University of Pittsburgh's resource for all things related to IP, from patents to copyrights to trademarks.
The OIE works daily with faculty and student innovators, as well as regional businesses through the Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence (IEE), to protect and commercialize their IP. Faculty-generated startups like Apollo Neuroscience, Diamond Kinetics and LyGenesis, all began with the filing of patent applications by their inventors with the Innovation Institute, part of the OIE.
And student-created startups like Four Growers, Trek Gum, and HEARTio, all protected their IP prior to their founders graduating from the university, with the support of the OIE's Big Idea Center.
For aspiring innovators interested in self-paced education on a variety of innovation and entrepreneurship topics, including IP, the OIE has curated a selection of documents and videos, where visitors can explore those topics in varying degrees of detail, from a brief overview to a deep dive. Our team of entrepreneurs in residence is regularly adding new content to the collection, so feel free to browse at your convenience to learn more about topics of interest to you.
For World IP Day we are featuring a video from the curated resources that outlines the basics of IP, including the various forms of IP mentioned above, in addition to detail around the different types of patents and the patent application process.
If you have questions about IP, you can contact our office at OIEhelp@pitt.edu.