Managing CERN’ Intellectual Property

Success Story

Application Domains

Intellectual property (IP) lies at the core of successful knowledge transfer at CERN, allowing CERN to manage scientific and technological developments for maximum impact in society. CERN often adopts an open source philosophy, having in place the adequate tools to manage its intellectual property in these cases. One example is the CERN Open Hardware Licence (OHL), a legal framework to facilitate knowledge exchange on hardware design. On the other hand, CERN considers patenting when the patent protection facilitates the technology transfer or makes the invention more attractive to companies. In 2019, two CERN patents were published. The Structured Laser Beam is a new paradigm in the creation of non-diffractive beams (NDBs) with potential to improve the application of laser beams or light beams. The second, GaToroid, is an innovative gantry design, which removes the need to rotate the structure, eliminating any current or movement limitations.