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2007
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An anticipated agreement will enable live IT auctions of promising Goddard technologies.

In late 2007, the IPP Office began discussions regarding license agreements for multiple technologies with Ocean Tomo, an IP consulting firm that exposes technologies to the marketplace through live IP auctions. At press time, the company was in the process of evaluating several Goddard technologies for possible license and subsequent auction.

The IPP Office is interested in this innovative approach to marketing technologies as a means to efficiently and effectively gain broader market exposure in an historically insulated IP market where transactions have been conducted privately, with no public discussion with respect to buyers, sellers, or price. “The single biggest advantage of this potential licensing deal with Ocean Tomo is that we will be able to gain more value from NASA technologies that have not been successfully licensed in the traditional sense but still have a tremendous amount of value,” said Bryan Geurts, chief patent counsel for Goddard. “Through this auctioning process we’re able to leverage an innovative way of bringing these technologies into the stream of commerce.” According to Ocean Tomo, IP owners such as Goddard benefit from the live auction format by capitalizing on the press garnered by the auction itself, an established centralized marketplace, and a competitive bidding environment.

If the license agreements with Ocean Tomo prove successful, Goddard will likely continue an ongoing partnership well into the future, says Geurts. “I absolutely see a bright future for making this a part of our day-to-day tech transfer process.”