Many intellectuals, while very skilled in their field of engineering, science or what ever their specialty, often complain about IP issues and the rigidity and complexity that they bring. Maybe it is just that they lack any serious knowledge about intellectual property law, in particular patent law, or is it that the subject is that complex? In the UK in November 2002, The Lambert Review, commissioned by HM Treasury, the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Trade and Industry, were given the task of bridging the gap between scientific researchers in universities and other third level institutions and the business community so that greater levels of cooperation and collaboration between them may occur. This was believed to be important to the growth of the economy and was thus undertaken and rightly so. Part of the review was to develop a set of model contracts and a protocol for intellectual property (IP) to aid and speed-up IP negotiations [1].
Five model Lambert agreements were developed, each specifically designed for different situations depending on who owns the IP and the type of licensing arrangement. These five agreements can now be availed of at:
http://www.innovation.gov.uk/lambertagreements/index.asp?lvl1=2&lvl2=0&lvl3=0&lvl4=0
and are in both Microsoft Word and PDF format and contain detailed guidance notes on their use. They contain that main elements of an IP agreement that are essential for the successful and fair negotiation between the two sets of parties involved.
This information is, in particular, essential reading for anyone interested in getting involved in University-Industry collaborations, for example, through the Innovation Partnership Initiative funded by Enterprise Ireland (see yesterdays Blog entry below).

References
[1] 4 December 2003 – Press release - GOVERNMENT WELCOMES BUSINESS-UNIVERSITY COLLABORATION REVIEW http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/newsroom_and_speeches/press/2003/press_129_03.cfm