One of the key issues that the IoT world is facing currently is how to protect new ideas while developing your business. To reinforce the security when sending your data around and exchanging new ideas might be very expensive. We need to be aware that the information can be protected at different levels and in different ways – not only IP – and best practice methods need to be spread.
Claes Pantzar, formerly head of the patent department at the Swedish Patent Office and now senior partner at Search-a-Patent AB, is active in promoting the public awareness about issues related to the Intellectual Property protection. He will give us a clear view of the most relevant topics related to the IP protection at the IOT360 Summit 2015 taking place on October 27-29, in Rome.
Read more about the IOT360 Summit taking place in Rome on 27-29 October 2015 and look at the influential speakers that will be attending the Summit.
Read full interview with Claes Pantzar, speaker at IOT360 Summit.
The IOT360 Summit will be a key–event to promote exchange and evaluation of new ideas and projects related to the IoT. What are your expectations about this second edition?
My expectations are, of course, to be able to contribute to and to display further possibilities on how intellectual property protection can and should be used in the IOT. Regardless of whether you are filing for any protection or not, I think that it is important that you evaluate your IP rights and what they would mean to you, before taking a business decision. Either ways, IP-protection or prophylactic publication are quite right as long as you are aware of the consequences for you. IOT360 is a tremendously good opportunity to spread best practice methods in the evaluation and exchange of new ideas.
One of the most common objections to an IoT-connected system concerns the management of the Big Data according to strict security procedures. Regarding the IP, what are the challenges to deal with to keep a high level of protection?
This is really a hard question and perhaps also one of the key issues when exchanging new ideas. I think that we all have to be realistic about that sending data over the internet is not secure unless special measures are taken. When it comes to new developments, they tend to be more and more complex and, due to that, more expensive. In order to protect the investment you should always establish the security level that you consider to be sufficient for you and be sure that your suppliers at least meet your security standard when transferring information on developments. If your current supplier doesn´t meet your demand, change to one who does. Also think about who is receiving my developments, do I trust this company?
Another delicate issue rising on the IoT is more ethical than technical and is about the privacy protection. Do you think that this kind of topics receive the proper consideration by the specialists involved in the Internet of Things?
I think that a lot more can be done of course, everybody has to create an awareness on what they demand in relation to risk. For instance, not everyone has NDA´s written with their suppliers. You should always have your own opinion that covers your own needs. This forces people within the IOT to respond and develop own skills to preserve any right or privacy where it should be.
