The Women's IP World Annual 2019/2020

SOUTH CHINA AFRICA
Innovation IN IT’S MODERN
MEANING IS A NEW IDEA, CREATIVE
THOUGHTS, NEW IMAGINATIONS IN
FORM OF DEVICE OR METHOD.
Research & Development
Dantofon provides patent intelligence services as well as a global search and analytical platform
providing updated, comprehensive, and accurate IP information for global innovators, academia,
R&D staff as well as IP Firms. Dantofon assists corporates in keeping track of the latest technology
development, mitigating patent infringements and innovation, technology concepts, technology cycle
analysis, risks, grasping the R&D trends of competitors and realising the business value of Intellectual
Property.
Dantofon and its partners are the leading IP information providers, focusing on deep integration and
value mining of IP data.
Strategy
By making IP and analysis accessible and usable
for non-IP experts, Dantofon provides IP,
Innovation, R&D and all technical teams with a
new source of information for use during research
and to construct and implement processes and
strategies that compliment your business goals.
Portfolio, Workflow and
Process Management
Organisations are now finally beginning to
integrate their IP strategy with their innovation
and business strategy to create better alignment
and more efficient technologies. To endure the
harmonic integration of protectable IP and the
Written by Lee-Ann Picoto, Co-Founder,
Dantofon
We couldn’t have a more apt description of the
meaning of innovation and the applications
or methodology of it. Even the synonyms
‘alteration’, ‘transformation,’ ‘metamorphosis’
and ‘renovation’ invoke the exact reason we do
what we do. This is what inspires us to reach more
companies, law firms, tech-minded individuals,
and academia. There is nothing more exciting
than seeing what might have seemed like a
small idea turn into a disruptive one that leads to
success. There are certainly ideas that with a bit
of tweaking or a change in perspective could be
the necessary change to bring about that truly
disruptive idea. We want to see our clients realise
their potential and assist with their growth, by
offering the information and consultancy from
ideology stage to getting to the patenting stage,
Where the IP Law geniuses take control.
A bit about us. Dantofon is a Global IP Consultancy
Group that is powered by our global partners
incoPat for our IP analytics and is in collaboration
with Chawton Innovation Services for Trade
Secret Management tools and services including
IP Risk Management and auditing.
Our Founder, Shane Picoto, with 16 years in the
industry, noticed a gap in the market. Techminded
clients, with no interest in IP or had no
time to have to learn how to use a tool to have
the global data at their disposal. In South Africa, it
could take up to 3 years for a patent to be granted!
IP attorneys could have spent hours and hours
doing searches on an idea that could be irrelevant.
Our Global partner, incoPat, had the tool we could
work our magic with, with the know-how of our
Founder, it made for one powerhouse of a team.
“Innovation in its modern meaning is a new idea,
creative thoughts, new imaginations in form of
device or method. Innovation is also often viewed
as the application of better solutions that meet new
requirements, unarticulated needs, or existing
market needs”.
Our Co-Founder, Lee-Ann Picoto, has been predominantly involved in the educating of individuals
or companies wanting to learn more about Trade Secrets, the management of this with the platform
created by her mentor Donal O’Connell (The Hazel Tool). Another platform for IP Risk Management
(the Alder Tool) as well as the auditing of these forms of IP. Lee-Ann has noticed that there is a lack
of knowledge of these forms of IP and the need to protect these, as we can tell by the series of Trade
Secrets stolen over the last few years. Lee-Ann is inspired to empower women in the tech industries as
well as those in academia and IP Law by using these platforms to better serve them on their journey to
success or lend a helping hand. There has, without a doubt, been an increase in the scope of women in
these industries, and this is something that resonates deeply with her.
Trade Secret Return on Investment Calculator Tool
Dantofon prides itself in offering its assistance in a custom way dependent on the clients’ needs. Some
clients prefer to have these tools in house. Others prefer to work on a project to project basis, and
then there are those who would rather use the consultancy side, which provides all they need to move
forward with their requirements.
This allows for the tracing of the technology development trends, seeks and decides the R&D direction,
evaluates S&T achievements, raises the starting point for research projects, grasping innovation
layouts, competitive industrial situations, digs high-value innovative technologies to provide reference
for innovation decision-makers.
Dantofon is able to set up surveillance around any tech space or assignee to receive the latest updates
according to the user’s setting including legal status, patent family, citation information, patentee,
litigation events, re-examination invalidation to help keep track of the latest patent changes and
development of technologies or competitors.
Commercialisation
Dantofon is able to provide insight into newly protected inventions, able to assist with potentially
coming up with new ideas in relation to possible cross-application technologies, tech scouting and
potential leads for collaborations.
There are three main commercialisation options.
- In the Spin-Off scenario, the university keeps most control and owns,
manages, and finances the technology.
- If a start-up is founded, the IP is licensed, while control and funding
come from outside the University.
- Commercialisation in TTO’s alternatively, the IP can be licenced to an
established company.
Whichever scenario Dantofon can assist.
Searches and Analytical Tools
Market and Competitor
Research
Successful market and competitive intelligence
will leverage all the data that is available in
order to provide the most complete picture
upon which to base decisions relating to market
opportunities and company strategies. By
aggregating all the data available in relevant
patents, IP analysis provides an efficient way of
uncovering information relating to these areas,
while often uncovering new facts that could be
vital in assessments or business negotiations.
Dantofon provides the analytical and search tools to support your innovations and strategy as well as
the experience in the search operators, complex query construction, CPC, IPC and truncation to ensure
the results are always relevant.
R&D vision, it is important to encourage a culture of
collaboration and transparency. Cross-functional
partnerships and divisional collaboration should
be encouraged, sharing observations with your
colleagues, and work off the same dataset.
Capture and manage what you find, including
your IP portfolio, competitor’s portfolio, market
intelligence, and general technology searches.
Should any assistance be needed regarding
Process Management, Dantofon can assist.
IP Firms benefits to
having these platforms
IP firms would not only be able to benefit from
the vast array of information, but these would be
added services you could provide to your clients
should they not want to research at ideology
stage. A benefit as far as the tools for Trade secrets
and IP Risk is that you are then able to either
manage the client’s IP portfolio and due diligence
or perhaps offer the auditing as a service. One
thing that we have noticed in South Africa is that
there are more IP Firms, turning to us to create
service offerings within Innovation.
Should you ever have any need for the above
offerings, please do not hesitate to contact Lee-
Ann Picoto dantofon2018@outlook.com or +27
(0) 81 058 7113. We look forward to taking this
journey with you. Moreover, to the ladies in any of
these industries, keep doing what you are doing!
You are all an inspiration to our company and
many ladies around you.
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