Non-Commercial Mobilization

In recent years the emergence of open source software in particular has had a profound effect on the availability and development of many widely adopted technologies, and is a key part of the momentum shift towards open innovation.

The UILO can provide advice as to which open-source license might be appropriate for your dissemination goals.  Furthermore, we can provide guidance as to the implications of including third party open source software in your research projects.

Certain research outputs such as software and research tools are well-suited to dissemination to a large group of people at a modest or no cost.

Simplifying access to these outputs in order to increase their dissemination is a key aim of the UILO. Providing very simple, non-negotiable and non-exclusive licensing terms is an effective tool, particularly when this can be achieved through simple online click-wrap licensing.

Mechanisms such as Flintbox, a technology that originated at the UILO and is now used globally by researchers and industry, facilitate this type of transaction, and the UILO will increasingly identify and utilize such mechanisms to make UBC research outputs more accessible and help spur further research and innovation.

Mechanisms such as patent pools and IP aggregation can provide easier access to UBC technologies whose impact is realized in combination with complementary technologies.

Combining discoveries to allow access to a broader range of complementary intellectual property can simplify access for licensees; can overcome potential freedom to operate issues and blocking patents; and allows UBC technologies with a narrow patent space to contribute to broader innovation activities.

The UILO will engage with appropriate patent pools to which it can contribute technologies, particularly where these pools may promote global access, such as WIPO Re:Search here