Methods and systems for intellectual property management

• US 20040049482A1
• Filed: 09/22/2003
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Brechter, Ralf, Von Appen, Frank, Gaertner, Manfred
• Application Number:
  US10/415,596
• Publication Number:
  US 20040049482A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Method and system for managing intellectual property rights use a first computer (901) with database (210), template documents (220), final documents (230). The database (210) has representations of works (W), representations of applicable rights (R), and states (S). The first computer (901) communicates with a second computer (902) to derive the final documents (230)—such as license contracts—from templates (220). A functional statement (F) in the final document (230) relates the representations to the applicable right. The statement is also used to calculate indicators—such as royalties—to be forwarded to a third computer (903).

Claims

1. A method (400) for managing rights that relate to works, the method comprising the following steps:

providing (410) on a first computer (901) a database (210) with representations of the works (W), with representations of applicable rights (R) for the works, and with states (S);

for a given work (ALPHA), selecting (420) a template document (220) that corresponds to the representation of the right (R) for the work (W);

communicating (430) between the first computer (901) and a second computer (902) to derive a final document (230) from the template document (220), the final document having a functional statement (Y=F(X)) with a first indicator (X) going into the first computer (901) and with a second indicator (Y), the final document (230) being associated with the database (210) and relating the representations of the work (W) and of the right (R), the state (S) and the functional statement (F);

setting (440) the state (S) to active;

receiving (450) the first indicator (X) from a third computer (903);

calculating (460) the second indicator (Y) according to the functional statement (F); and

forwarding (460) the second indicator (Y) to the second computer (902).

2. The method of claim 1, comprising the step of distributing a copy of the work, following step setting (440).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein in the receiving step, the first indicator is a numerical value representing a quantity selected from the group of:

number of physical copies of the work,

number of broadcast transmissions of the work,

time for that a physical copy of the work is available to a predetermined customer, and

the number of subscribers to copies of the work.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the second indicator is a numerical value representing a quantity selected from the group of:

royalty, agent fee, and commission.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step selected from the group of:

acquiring a right,

selling a right,

managing a contract that relates to a right,

checking availability of a right,

checking two rights for collision and non-collision,

checking expiration and existence of a right,

checking contractual or statutory restrictions,

tracking utilization of a right,

alerting upon reaching a predefined threshold of the first or the second indicators,

reporting,

electronically presenting bills and payment through Internet,

delaying step setting active by a predetermined delay time, and

periodically triggering payment.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising the further step of triggering a workflow in the first computer to obtain legal clearance if a predefined condition is detected.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of parsing the database to detect events, the events selected from the group of:

the first indicator has passed a predetermined threshold;

a right is changed but a shipping a physical copy to a customer is ongoing.

8. The method of claim 9, wherein during parsing the database, events are detected that have representations in the final document.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of triggering shipment of a copy to a customer, wherein shipment comprises an action selected from the group of:

shipping a physical copy of the work to a customer; and

broadcasting the work.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein reading from the third computer (903) is performed by from a computer that is related to a recipient of the work, selected from the group of:

radio station, broadcaster, discotheque, cinema, restaurant, distributor, media agency, customer via Internet.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the right includes at least one of:

reproduction right, broadcasting right, public performance right, adaptation right, translation right, public recitation right, public display right, distribution right, and sales right.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein one right depends on a further right.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the rights are classified into categories with attributes.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the template document (220) and the final document (230) comprise a contract of at least one of the following types:

sales contract, purchase contract, and license contract.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the contract is related to a further contract, selected from the group of:

addendum, extension, side-letter, and contract that merges existing contracts.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed by the first computer being a computer of a media company, and the second computer being a computer of a financial organization.

17. The method of claim 1, being performed by accessing at least one of the followings customer relationship management (CRM) functions:

sales organization, sales group, sales offices, service organization, purchasing organization, and purchasers group.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the functional statement (Y=F(X)) comprises any function of the following:

deactivating the state when the first indicator exceeds a predetermined number, deactivating the state after a predetermined time from activating, and deactivating the state after a right has expired.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the work is a digital work.

20. A contract produced as the final document by the practice of the method of claim 1.

21. A computer-based system (999) employing operatively interconnected data processing and computer means for managing intellectual property rights, the system

having on a first computer (901), a database (210) with representations of the works (W), with representations of applicable rights (R) for the works, and with states (S);

having on the first computer (901), a template document (220) selectable to correspond to the representation of the right (R) for the work (W);

a communicator on a second computer (902) for communicating between the first computer (901) and the second computer (902) to derive a final document (230) from the template document (220), the final document having a functional statement (Y=F(X)), with a first indicator (X) going into the first computer (901) and with a second indicator (Y), the final document (230) being associated with the database (210) and relating the representations of the work (W) and of the right (R), the state (S) and the functional statement (F);

on the first computer (901), means for setting the state (S) to active;

on the first computer (901), means for receiving (450) the first indicator (X) from a third computer (903);

on the first computer (901), means for calculating (460) the second indicator (Y) according to the functional statement (F); and

on the first computer (901), means for forwarding (460) the second indicator (Y) to the second computer (902).

22. Computer-program product (101) having a plurality of code portions with that cause a processor of a computer to manage intellectual property rights, the computer-program product comprising:

code portions for providing (410) on a first computer (901) a database (210) with representations of the works (W), with representations of applicable rights (R) for the works, and with states (S);

code portions for selecting (420) a template document (220) that corresponds to the representation of the right (R) for the work (W);

code portions for communicating (430) between the first computer (901) and a second computer (902) to derive a final document (230) from the template document (220), the final document having a functional statement (Y=F(X)), with a first indicator (X) going into the first computer (901) and with a second indicator (Y), the final document (230) being associated with the database (210) and relating the representations of the work (W) and of the right (R), the state (S) and the functional statement (F);

code portions for setting (440) the state (S) to active;

code portions for receiving (450) the first indicator (X) from a third computer (903);

code portions for calculating (460) the second indicator (Y) according to the functional statement (F); and

code portions for forwarding (460) the second indicator (Y) to the second computer (902).

23. An article of manufacture with a computer readable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for managing rights that relate to works, the program code means executing the following steps:

providing (410) on a first computer (901) a database (210) with representations of the works (W), with representations of applicable rights (R) for the works, and with states (S);

for a given work (ALPHA), selecting (420) a template document (220) that corresponds to the representation of the right (R) for the work (W);

communicating (430) between the first computer (901) and a second computer (902) to derive a final document (230) from the template document (220), the final document having a functional statement (Y=F(X)), with a first indicator (X) going into the first computer (901) and with a second indicator (Y), the final document (230) being associated with the database (210) and relating the representations of the work (W) and of the right (R), the state (S) and the functional statement (F);

setting (440) the state (S) to active;

receiving (450) the first indicator (X) from a third computer (903);

calculating (460) the second indicator (Y) according to the functional statement (F); and

forwarding (460) the second indicator (Y) to the second computer (902).