When I was last in Bahrain I had the good fortune to be introduced to a small group of young bankers that were thinking about e-commerce and Islamic banking. They wanted to understand whether they could obtain effective protection for their IP. It was a very pleasant and interesting conversation and I believe they came away with some new ideas to consider.
Since returning to Singapore I’ve been thinking about the ‘in re Bilski‘ decision just returned from the U.S. Supreme Court. This decision is all about whether business methods are patentable in the U.S. (the EU historically has been much less accepting of business methods patents). Bilski teaches us quite a bit, especially that nothing is simple in this area. What I found fascinating, however, was that when I started applying the principles of Bilski to the basic principles of Islamic banking, there was something of an unexpected intersection. And I think it’s possible that Islamic banking methods, tied as they often are to tangible objects, may be more likely to be patentable than typical Western banking processes!
More later….
Several friends and I drove up from Singapore today to attend Barcamp Johor Bahru (also known as ‘JB’). It is being held at Sunway College johor Bahru. A ‘barcamp’ is an informal colloquium where many of the participants give talks about something that they are interested in. They can be quite fun. My 14 year-old son Max gave a talk on what kids want from games at the last one we went to in Singapore. I enjoyed this barcamp; especially having a cigar with my friend Alvin outside.
I’m attending a very interesting workshop sponsored by the IEEE and Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University on the subject of micro power grids. I’ve always been of the belief that Singapore (or Bahrain for that matter) are ideally sized to serve as living laboratories for key technology development. Smartgrid technologies can be developed and demonstrated in these small, uniform markets.
The workshop itself is really very interesting. Some of it is going back to the basics of DC power conversion and is a nice review for me. Part of it is a review of current micro and smartgrid technology’s state of the art. I’m here to get ideas for inventions and perhaps to meet others that are interested in this area.
In listening to a discussion regarding synchronizing multiple inverters feeding into the grid I had an interesting idea…challenging some of the assumptions feeding power to the grid. May even be an invention in it!
Great seminar. Like to see it duplicated in Bahrain!
As many of you know, we have been planning to establish an intellectual property, due diligence, and entrepreneurship mentoring practice in Bahrain this year. The wheels are in motion for that and have recently returned to Singapore from Bahrain.
I’ve been thinking a lot about my recent trip to Bahrain. This is the first time where I’ve been in the Middle East and really focused on innovation and entrepreneurship. It was also my first time to sit down with Bahrain government officials.
it was with what I’ve learned from these meetings in mind that I wrote out the four areas where I think Alkimie can help. there is more detail in the “about” tab, but here are those areas:
1. Helping Middle Eastern techno-entrepreneurs to gain access to entrepreneurship resources both in the Middle East and abroad;
2. Helping bring Middle Eastern techno-entrepreneurs together with funding sources whether in the Middle East or abroad, and providing due diligence services to meet aside of resulting transactions;
3. Providing specific IP services, such as filing patent applications in the United States patent office, the European patent office, and other relevant patent offices outside the Middle East;
4. finding innovations and technologies abroad that can be brought to bear on Middle Eastern challenges in helping to arrange licensing of said technologies and innovations.
We would welcome thoughts and comments from all interested readers and particularly those in the Gulf Cooperation Countries.
The following email arrived at door with much of the header, including the sender’s email, obscured. We are posting it here in an effort to reach out to it’s author.
Dearest kind Sirs, and furthermore Madams of sorts,
These words come to you and much haste or as they say good opportunities fade like soft poots offered to strong rattling winds. I am most honorable alchemical engineer and founder of M’pet Labs where futures are of makings today and I wish to make offering to you kind Sir of much greater significance than simple capricious pootings. As graduate of Carnegie Mellonhead University I have made fortune with American patent marks from many notable inventings such as the edible paper clip, the gorilla detector and the electric nose warmer. This I have done despite a moderate to severe vision impairment caused by lack of any eyes so to speak, and also despite the irksome and relentless beeping of my luckless redhaired associate B’K’cair. I am in needings of trustworthy American investor to provide startup funds for new apparatics: the banana sharpener! B’K’cair has run much numbers and we anticipate dividends strong and rattling! Fill your lungs with this warm opportunity before it blows away.
Yours in business and in facebookings,
Dr. Bunsen C. Honeydew
Bespectacled Practitioner of Eldritch Alchemical Arts
