Gutterman and Erlich provide a clear, concise summary of all the important legal and business issues that may arise in technology transfer arrangements. Discussed are the law of technology transfer, including federal legislation and intellectual property law; the fundamentals of establishing a technology transfer, including confidentiality agreements, due diligence investigations, and selection of technology partners; legal and business issues involved in licensing and research and development arrangements, including university research arrangements; and steps to be taken by federal laboratory managers, the Federal government, and private firms to improve technology transfer. This work is important reading for executives, entrepreneurs, lawyers, accountants, and other professionals involved in transfer arrangements, and also for venture capitalists and investment bankers seeking a broad overview of technology-driven transactions. Academic lawyers and their students will also find this book valuable.
The nation's ability to facilitate the transfer of its valuable, publicly funded technology and related know-how from its national research laboratories and universities to the private sector for commercial usage will be key to its future economic growth and global business competitiveness. This work is a comprehensive guide to all of the essential legal and business considerations that entrepreneurs and managers must take into account in the course of structuring technology transfers. The book is intended to provide readers with a clear and concise summary of the basic building blocks of effective technology transfer, including applicable federal laws and regulations, intellectual property law, licensing agreements, research and development arrangements, and the strategies that may be adopted for improving technology transfer in the future.
This book takes the reader through each transaction on a step-by-step basis, beginning with partner selection and preliminary activities, and includes comprehensive model contract provisions. In addition, the book analyzes how the federal laboratories, the government, and firms in the private sector can improve the quantity and quality of technology transfer in the years to come.
About the Author: ALAN S. GUTTERMAN is an Oakland, California attorney in private practice. For most of his professional career he has provided counsel to entrepreneurs, executives, inventors, and small and large business enterprises in almost all areas of business law. Mr. Gutterman holds M.B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of California at Berkeley, a D.B.A. in international business from Golden State University, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in law and economics at the University of Cambridge, England. Among his many publications are three earlier books from Quorum: The Law of Domestic and International Strategic Alliances: A Survey for Corporate Management (1995), The Legal Considerations in Business Financing (1994), and Technology Driven Corporate Alliances: A Legal Guide for Executives (1994).
JACOB N. ERLICH is Of Counsel for the Boston law firm of Perkins, Smith, and Cohen, where he specializes in intellectual property law matters, government-related areas of the law, and technology transfer issues. A well-published expert in patent law and in all matters relating to the transfer of technology--especially the transfer of technology from federal laboratories to the private sector--Mr. Erlich has served at various times on the Steering Committee of the N.E. Chapter of the Technology Transfer Society, as Chairman of the LES Committee on Federal Technology Transfer, and as President of the Boston Patent Law Association and Councilman to the National Council of AIPLA.
