Noted attorney and lecturer on IP issues, Mr. Gollin examines the innovation cycle; suggests practical strategies to ease tension between innovators and society.
WASHINGTON, DC (May 27, 2008)
Driving Innovation, the new book by Venable partner
Michael A. Gollin, demonstrates how the intellectual property (IP) system drives the "innovation cycle" and shapes global society.
Drawing examples from current headlines, Gollin's experience, and lawsuits relating to patents, trademarks, copyright, and trade secrets,
Driving Innovation explains the fundamental concepts and practical strategies that can be used by businesses, creative individuals, and public organizations to put their ideas to work.
"Gollin has done a remarkable job... He ...wisely states that we need not resolve the tense debate about whether intellectual property is inherently good or bad," said
Richard Wilder, Associate General Counsel for IP Policy at Microsoft. "The... book is devoted to... practical ways in which tensions can be resolved... [in] securing IP rights and managing them to help organizations achieve their goals... It is this view... that is Gollin's simple, but powerful, insight."
"Innovation commands our attention because of its transformative power to improve lives and create wealth for individuals, companies and nations," Gollin said. "But it can also cause harm. The IP system has emerged as a driving force in globalization, separating the innovation 'haves' from the 'have-nots.' Innovators, investors, policymakers and the general public all benefit from learning more about how the IP system works and how it can be used to encourage innovation that maximizes benefits for everyone."
Driving Innovation demonstrates several fundamental points:
- Intellectual property (and the controversy surrounding it) is inevitable - IP laws and practices have shaped innovation throughout history and around the world, and will continue to evolve into the future.
- IP systems are necessary to channel, disseminate, and promote beneficial innovation. Otherwise, innovators revert to secrecy and society loses out.
- IP is unique among social, commercial, and legal systems in its focus on balancing the exclusive rights of innovators with society's demand for access to their innovations.
- Intellectual property concepts and strategies are understandable. They can be learned, taught, and applied systematically and advantageously by anyone involved with innovation.
Driving Innovation empowers readers to understand innovation trends and politics, and provides practical steps toward meeting their goals - whether making money, avoiding problems, or improving the world for future generations.
More information about
Driving Innovation (ISBN: 978-0-521-70169-3), is available at
http://www.cambridge.org/9780521701693.
About the Author
Michael A. Gollin is a partner and patent attorney at Venable LLP. He is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business and the Franklin Pierce Law Center, where he teaches strategic management of intellectual property.
Gollin holds a J.D. from Boston University School of Law, an M.S. in zoology and molecular biology from the University of Zurich and a B.S. in biochemical sciences from Princeton University.
He worked in law firms in Boston and New York before joining Venable to build an international intellectual property law practice in Washington, DC.
In 2002, Gollin launched Public Interest Intellectual Property Advisors (PIIPA), a pro bono service for clients facing IP issues in developing countries. Mr. Gollin has co-authored several books, including one with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that contributed to the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. He has published and presented more than 100 law review articles, papers, and speeches, and is a frequent commentator on IP issues in the print and broadcast media.
One of the American Lawyer’s top 100 law firms, Venable LLP has attorneys practicing in all areas of corporate and business law, complex litigation, intellectual property and government affairs. Venable serves corporate, institutional, governmental, nonprofit and individual clients throughout the U.S. and around the world from its headquarters in Washington, D.C. and offices in California, Maryland, New York and Virginia. For more, visit
www.Venable.com.