Week 2: The Adventure Continues
My second week at IBJ has been full of new and exciting projects. I continued to work on developing a risk management plan for the organization, but large parts of my day will now be dedicated to protecting IBJ's intellectual property rights. I've been learning on the ground, spending time researching IP law in various international jurisdictions and briefing my supervisors on the processes IBJ needs to complete in order to best protect their various publications and terms.
So far, my most exciting assignment has been helping IBJ protect its intellectual property rights concerning a new digital project the organization has been developing. This week I wrote non-disclosure agreements that included provisions to ensure IBJ would retain full intellectual property rights to the computer programs outside developers have created on behalf of the organization. It was a little intimidating to write something that was signed just hours later, but I have fully enjoyed the experience and am very thankful that my supervisors trust me with such important documents.
As my summer continues, I will keep working with my supervisors and consulting IP attorneys to protect IBJ's intellectual property. This has taken priority over the risk management plan because IBJ hopes to begin launching aspects of its digital project over the coming weeks. Software and computer programs remain a bit of a gray-area within IP law, so I have committed substantial time to understanding the current laws and how those laws might change as courts' understanding of computers improves. With my research wrapping up, I intend to start drafting additional agreements for contractors and to begin the filing processes for IBJ to register its properties worldwide.
I can't wait for another exciting week at IBJ!