PROTECTION
An invention is classified as a technical embodiment, which may encompass a product, a method, or a novel application of an existing product that addresses a technical problem. It must cumulatively satisfy the following criteria:
a) To be novel,
b) To present an inventive step and,
c) To be susceptible of industrial application.
An invention can be protected through a patent, which offers a duration of protection of twenty years, or by maintaining it as confidential know-how.
Maintaining Confidentiality
The disclosure of an invention prior to the submission of a patent application permanently undermines the right to apply for a patent, as it violates the requirement of novelty.
The researchers must keep confidential the content of the invention, and refrain from publishing or disclosing this information to third parties at least until a patent application is submitted for the invention. This includes indicatively avoiding announcements at conferences, publications in scientific journals, advertisements, and any dissemination of data on the internet or social media platforms.
Any disclosure to a third party must occur only after the establishment of a confidentiality agreement, specifically a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
According to the current Technology Transfer Regulation of the University of Thessaly the Intellectual Property Rights in research results created by Researchers of the University of Thessaly belong 100% to the University of Thessaly. In the event of commercial utilization, the University of Thessaly allocates 60% of the net revenues as benefits to the researchers involved.
Industrial designs are protected under the law of Industrial Property Rights, provided that they are novel and possess individual character. These designs can be registered at national, European, and global levels. The scope of their protection extends geographically to the territories of the states in which they are registered.
The Industrial Property Rights pertaining to the industrial designs developed and produced as a result of research conducted by the researchers of the University of Thessaly (UTH) are owned by UTH.
The duration of protection for Industrial Designs ranges from 5 to 25 years, with fees for this protection being payable every 5 years.
The registration of a trademark gives its owner the right to exclusive use of it in its products, its packaging, its form and other material used for the sale or promotion of its products and/or its services.
Registration of a trademark with the competent authority entails 10 years of protection, which can be renewed unlimitedly every 10 years.
In relation to the protection of Intellectual Property Rights, researchers, in collaboration with the Innovation-Transfer Technology Unit and the Entrepreneurship Center of the University of Thessaly, known as ‘One Planet Thessaly’, are permitted to submit a copy of their work to the Hellenic Copyright Organization (OPI). This submission process allows them to obtain a reference number and a submission date, commonly referred to as the ‘Timestamp’ procedure.
COMMERCIAL EXPLOITATION
The commercial exploitation of research results and the associated Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) is facilitated through technology transfer agreements. These agreements may involve the transfer of rights that grant either exclusive or non-exclusive licenses for the exploitation of intellectual property rights. Additionally, commercial exploitation is achieved through the establishment and development of spin-off companies by the researchers.
In any instance of research results exploitation, whether through exclusive or no exclusive licenses, or transferring rights, or a combination of both, the University of Thessaly (UTH) retains the right to use these results for further research, as well as for academic and training purposes.