Registration of Intellectual Property: The Issue of Transparency of Intellectual Property Ownership.

Typically, judges, legislators, academics and practitioners focus on assessing which inventions and creations can be protected by intellectual property (IP) protection. Whereas much attention is paid to the question “who can own WHAT?”, the question “WHO owns what?” has largely been neglected.
Undoubtedly, it is important to find the answer to the first question, as it provides clarity for inventors and creators on the inventions and creations that can be protected. In practice, however, determining the answer to the second question is of equal importance. Currently, the level of transparency of IP ownership is limited: the information is either not registered or is not timely updated. Yet, it is essential for third parties who are interested in the IP to be able to track the IP owners as only the IP owners can decide whether and to whom they will grant a license or sell the IP. Without correct information on the IP owners in a register third parties need to invest additional resources to identify and track the owner involved, which may complicate or delay the exchange of knowledge and the innovation process.
Therefore, my objective is to (1) explore the value of IP transparency; (2) assess the current level of transparency in IP registers; (3) evaluate strategies of stakeholders on IP ownership registration; and (4) suggest legislative changes and alternative mechanisms to increase the level of transparency of IP owners.