Nominate or apply for the Ohio Patent Award competition

The Ohio Academy of Science (OAS) and the Ohio State Bar Association Intellectual Property Law Section announced that March 1 is the deadline for Ohio inventors to apply for Ohio Patent Awards to recognize individuals or organizations and their counsel who have contributed intellectual property in the form of granted patents within Ohio. The awards will also recognize the attorney who has helped to develop the patent.

Ohio has a rich history of innovation including the controlled, powered airplane, the automobile self-starter, the flip-top can, the vaccine for feline leukemia, and numerous other patented inventions which have had a worldwide impact.

The Ohio Patent Awards will be granted in two separate categories in 2011: the Ohio Patent Legacy Award; and the Ohio Patent Impact Awards.

The Legacy Award will be granted to a prolific and/or historic Ohio patentee-inventor in recognition of their contribution of significant intellectual property in the form of a U.S. patent or collection of U.S. patents.

Ohio Impact Awards will be granted to the Ohio inventor or organization and their counsel who have contributed new intellectual property in the form of an issued U.S. patent which has significantly impacted the state of Ohio through positive changes. Among the criteria to be examined for the Ohio Impact Awards will be significance to Ohio’s economic, social change, health benefits, or growth of new industries and/or jobs. The patent must be a U.S. patent issued prior to March 1, 2009, and may be from a not-for-profit or for-profit corporation, government agency, an academic institution or association, or from an individual inventor residing in Ohio either on the filing date of the patent or on the date of patent issuance. If applicable, the assignment of the rights of the invention must be to an organization with a physical presence within the State of Ohio, such as manufacturing or production facilities related to the patent to be recognized. The law firm or attorney that prosecuted the U.S. patent associated with the winning Ohio Impact Award will be recognized by association with the outstanding patent. Such law firm or attorney must reside within the state of Ohio.

Nominations and applications, due March 1, may be made by an individual or by a professional organization or law firm for an individual, an academic institution, an industry or a government agency.

A panel of five members chosen by the Academy’s Board of Trustees and the OSBA, will evaluate the nominations for the patent award based on several criteria that includes the following: (a) most prolific (greatest number) of patents in a year; or (b) a patent which has significantly impacted the state of Ohio through positive changes measured by economic, social change, health benefits, growth of new industries, jobs or other possible criteria. The attorney associated with the winning patent award is thus selected by association with the outstanding patent.

Each inventor will receive an engraved plaque at the Academy’s annual meeting. The attorney of record of the patent or his or her law firm will receive an engraved plaque at the annual meeting of the OAS or the annual convention of the OSBA, at his or her choosing. All applications must be mailed to The Ohio Academy of Science by the postmarked date of March 1 or submitted electronically. An online, printable application and further details are posted at . E-mail questions to oas@iwaynet.net or call (614) 488-2228.