Vincent RYCKAERT, born in 1970, as Belgian citizen, received his Civil Engineer Degree in Electro Mechanics, specialization Automatisation, in 1993, at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and his PhD Degree in Applied Science , in 1998 at the same University for his work in Industrial Automation. He acquired experience in Microelectronics during his stay in 1991 at IMEC and during preparation of his master thesis in 1993. Vincent joined IMEC’s patent group within IMEC Business Development in May 1998 as patent officer, and was mainly assigned to patent applications in the field of Electronic Design Automation, Telecommunication and Multimedia. In 2003 he became head of the IPAI (Intellectual Property for Ambient Intelligence) section of the patent group within Business Development, with 5 co-workers. In 2004 Vincent qualified as European Patent Attorney. He also has followed in-depth training in US Patent, Licensing Law and further developed in-depth expertise in the field of so-called software enabled patents (also called computer implemented inventions) both in accordance with EPO and USPTO practices. In 2007 he received his diploma on Litigation of European Patents from the University Robert Schuman, Strasbourg, Center for Intellectual Property Studies. Vincent is member of the European Patent Institute (EPI), the Licensing Executive Society (LES) , the IP association of the Flemish Engineering Association (KVIV), where he takes care of the scientific coordination of a 11 session licensing course on Intellectual Property, and AIPPI. He is a frequent speaker at local and European conferences on “use of IP as instrument for innovation”, teaching at Universities and Business Schools and in the context of a pilot project for an European Institute of Technology he conducted an IP report on “use of IP originating from R&D”. Since 2009 his efforts at IMEC are directed towards IP business and intelligence work and therefore further specializes in topics as IP Due Diligence, Patent Opinions and strategies, arbitration, role of IP experts in business disputes. |