Prepared by:
Malaysia-U.S Chamber of Commerce

Entrepreneurship Boot Camp Plan | Executive Summary

Although Malaysia doesn’t have a start-up economy yet, the desire for entrepreneurship and innovation are there, along with a growing number of public policies to support them– a good recipe to put the economy on the entrepreneurial path.
Malaysia’s relatively high entrepreneurialism is reflected in its entrepreneurship and innovation rank by the Legatum Prosperity Index: 28th out of 104 economies. Similarly, the World Bank ranks the country 23rd out of 183 economies in the ease of doing business.

While Malaysia’s entrepreneurial success stories are explained by its citizens’ entrepreneurial spirit and determination, the flourishing of young businesses is facilitated by a government that is always looking for ways to advance entrepreneurship through new policies. Perhaps the greatest example of the importance the public sector places on entrepreneurship is the creation of a ‘New Economic Model’ (NEM) for Malaysia where the Prime Minister has made entrepreneurship the key driver of the economy for the next 10 years with special emphasis on innovation and the entrepreneurial drive of its citizens.

The entrepreneurship boot camp hosted by Education Malaysia, organized by Malaysia-U.S Chamber of Commerce and supported by the state of Virginia, is designed to encourage aspiring technology entrepreneurs to launch and grow a successful business through a) provided funding b) mentorship and c) networking opportunities. The goal of this camp is to generate further interest in entrepreneurship amongst Malaysian students.

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Take, for example, American football.  Obviously, new technology in television and video provide an aspect that is ancillary to the game itself.  Video games, and fantasy football games all incorporate new technology and actually create a new facet to the game.  In the game itself, new inventions can improve the quality of the game, create better entertainment products, and provide for a safer work environment for the players.

American football is an ideal spectator sport, having rules that make the game readily enjoyed by spectators at the game, fans who watch on their televisions, computers or other video devices, or just listening on their radio.

Improvements in audio and video technology are motivated by the entertainment value provided by listening and viewing the game.  So since “necessity is the mother of invention,” there are always new ideas that improve the symbiotic relationship between television and the game.  For example, US20130242262 describes wearable glasses (optic device) by a football spectator. Networks such as Twitter, Facebook, and the Internet are connected to the spectator. The spectator can see who has the ball and its course during a play. Who has the ball as well as the ball’s location is highlighted. Video information can be overlayed from scores of other games. Information about the location of the football during the game (line of scrimmage, first down line) can be provided. Video highlights of the game could be provided, all through specially designed glasses.

Within the boundaries of the game itself, new ideas are being proposed that improve the safety of the players and create a more entertaining game. US20150013052 describes a shoulder pad for use in a contact sport, such as football.  Compared to conventional shoulder pads, the invention provides a greater amount of mobility and reduces an impact force throughout the pad assembly. In addition, the fastening assembly is easily installed on the shoulder pad thereby reducing both material and assembly costs. A novel thermoplastic composite material provides for a stronger and lighter pad assembly providing additional protection while reducing the strain on the user. Furthermore, due to the integrated construction of the interior pad assembly, the shoulder pad is more comfortable for the participant to wear while playing the contact sport.

Another improvement to the game is described in 20150011343 where a newly designed American style football is described having an inflatable bladder, at least one cover panel surrounding the bladder, a lacing coupled to the at least one cover panel, a flap and an electronic circuit. The flap is coupled to the outer surface of the bladder and is generally positioned to align with the lacing. The electronic circuit is positioned on or beneath the flap. The electronic circuit includes at least one sensor and the electronic circuit is configured to produce a signal to enable at least one characteristic of the football to be monitored during use. This characteristic could be movement of the ball, rotation or temperature.  With the current media attention regarding “Deflate-Gate” and the Patriots, the senor could be designed to continually assess air pressure.

US 20140362244 describes a helmet camera system having a portable video device securely mounted within a conventional sports helmet and designed to be flush with the front of the helmet to provide viewers  with the same perspective of the opposing team as the player.

US 20120058841 is a football tee with multiple ball supporting modes.  Adjusted settings on the tee position the ball for the user to either kick the ball in the traditional manner, onside kick, or squib kick the ball.

These are only a sampling of the improvements that could be a game changer.

Keep Inventing America

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It’s been said that America is built on ideas. Intellectual property such as patents, trademarks, and copyrights creates building blocks for those ideas. So our laws are structured to encourage and nurture these ideas and offer individuals who wish to pursue these ideas a means to develop them into meaningful and gainful opportunities.

To this end, the US government has created a patent system where an inventor and the government enter into a contract that gives the patent owner a monopoly on his or her idea in exchange for a complete public disclosure of the idea. The idea can be a man-made method or device that is new and non-obvious. The hope is that the patent encourages the inventor to invest into the idea and eventually profit from it while making the idea available to the public to improve and further invent. Society benefits with individual success stories and with continued technical advancements.

A trademark identifies your product or service with you or your company. Thus trademarks are a means to brand your product or service so that it will be associated by consumers to you or your company. Individual letters, words, or logos, in combination or alone, can be used to brand the product or service. Once established the government allows the company to have unique ownership as long as they continue to use the trademark in association with their products or services. Once again society benefits since consumers will be able to easily understand the origins and quality of their purchase.

Copyrights are created to provide a means of defending an idea such as an author’s novel, an artist’s painting, or a composer’s music. Copyrights protect any idea fixed in tangible form. Under certain situations, copyright protection is even available for source code written for certain computer applications.

Each of these three general areas provides different types of protection for your idea. Application of each would depend upon the individual situation. Therefore in each of these situations, the best approach in protecting your idea so that it becomes a success in business today and in the future is to make an informed decision for each step in its development.
Working with an experienced Intellectual Property Attorney will significantly help in making an informed decision and maximize the chances of success, creating the building block foundation for your idea. We can help. Call or email us today 610-268-5330 or jfaceto@acetoiplaw.com

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