BUILDING BLOCK EXPERT
For many technology is all about the fantastic, unbelievable or gee-whiz. Technology is reduced to an oversimplified black box. What if the enabling aspects of technology were respected and discussed? What if you could open this black box and unlock the value of assets? Welcome to my world!
..Paul BoldtPh.D.
LOOK AT TECHNOLOGY DIFFERENTLY!
Technology is playing an ever increasing role in society and some of today’s biggest challenges, think climate change, will need significant advances in technology to be solved. At the same time, everyone talks about tech and everyday there seems to be a new [Insert Here]tech. I see technology as forming the building blocks of tech. Advances in technology overcome tech’s pain points, allowing tech to do what it does. So, while most focus on the end result, which everyone wants, I focus on how we arrive there.
THE CREATIONS
“getting technology right” and “IPmart” were developed with the same core premise; understand the technology to understand the asset. Getting technology right is directed at improving this understanding for better investment decisions. Investments should consider the building blocks of a solution, not the desired outcome. IPmart is a centralized patent marketplace. Patents, particularly in Canada, are discussed and marketed with little thought to the technology they present. Patents are of less interest when they are difficult to understand.
IPMART, UP CLOSE
On one level patents are simple. A bit of technology is made public in exchange for a limited monopoly. On another level they are quite difficult, leading many to oversimplify to the point of nonsense. At this point, patents are less likely to be licensed, innovation stemming from the technology is reduced and everyone becomes frustrated with the system. IPmart starts at the technology and provides a clear summary of it. Then IPmart looks around today’s world to put the patent’s technology in context.
What Drives Me
I am fascinated by technology. There are so many things that, once impossible, are no longer so because of core developments in technology. These are neat! I am also driven by the memory of the Avro Arrow. Canada’s aerospace industry developed cutting-edge technology. Then we let it slip away. This happens again and again. It has to stop so Canada can benefit from its innovation. The first step is understanding what technology we are developing and patenting.
A NEW POV IS KEY
Today, we hear many voices discussing technology and patents. Unfortunately, we also hear “not quite” or outright wrong comments about technology. We hear gee-whiz and we hear oversimplification. Most often this takes the form of stating the desired outcome instead of how it is achieved. The end result is disenfranchisement around patents, questionable investments and disenchantment of innovators. They see their efforts and patents as in vain because they are not understood, and possibly not respected. We need a new POV and new voices.
TURN THINGS AROUND
How? We open the tech black box and think about technology. When we better understand the technology we better understand the asset. We can better promote the technology and patents by presenting a realistic picture thereof. We can talk inventor’s language, and give their efforts respect. We can help SMEs find the assets that would benefit their efforts. We can focus our investments on companies that are well positioned in their technology space. Technology and patents share an important role in a society that poorly understands both.
“Of all things Paul and I met at a gallery opening. I wound up inviting Paul to give a lecture to my nanotechnology class. He took us through 30 years of semiconductor processing, presenting a clear and informative summary of the major advances that allow today’s performance.”
Elena Baranova
Prof. University of Ottawa
“Paul and I have been writing about technology for years. A major effort thought about Apple’s jump into processor design for their devices. We were there when the A4 landed in 2010. Paul always looks at the topic from a broader perspective; including what the technology means to the market.”
Don Scansen
Semiconductor Analyst
“I have known Paul since our early days at the same IP law firm. From the outset he looked at patents from a technology point-of-view. Paul has always expressed a keen interest in technology and looks to help others see the same.”
Hetal Kushwaha
Patent Agent
“It was a great joy to sit down and have an open discussion about patents and really, what makes them so unique and at the same time how they remain somewhat of a mystery. I was not aware of this industry and how much it impacts our day-to-day life.”
Jason D. Harper
Podcast / Marketing Expert
How I help clients
Ipmart
Publicly funded Canadian research, whether is be Government labs or Universities, produces patented technology. These institutions want to licence these patents. Let’s just say current efforts could be much improved. Enter IPmart. IPmart is built to shine light on the technology, including its current place in the world, making it easier for licensees.
GETTING TECHNOLOGY RIGHT
Quintessential “tech” is dominated by software. Deep tech and climate tech are making inroads and they generally entail a greater reliance on “physical” concepts and outcomes. Problem: these require an understanding of technology. Thus, they are less influenced by social media channels and marketing. Getting technology right is designed to better understand the technology and its context.
SPEAKING
In 2019 I gave several invited talks at Canadian Universities. At McMaster University I presented “a tale of materials innovation in Integrated Circuits” and “moving beyond counting … bringing portents to life”. Later, I presented the former of these at the University of Ottawa”. I look forward to additional speaking engagements.
My Process
I am a simpleton. I ask simple questions and I like simple answers. I want to understand the root, or the “kernel”, of a technology. What is the fundamental development? Does it make sense? This minimalist vision extends through technology, art, design and architecture. How much structure is needed for function? Everything else is extra. After 25 years of working in semiconductor licensing, patent drafting and prosecution, and technology information, I have seen plenty of the great and not-so-great. Combined with my Ph.D. in the physical sciences I do not shy away from technology.