Although the weather might not yet be cooperating, the Grand
Prix and Formula 1 racing in Montréal this weekend is the
first real confirmation for many of the start of summer. As
an IP attorney, that got me wondering about intellectual property
protection and Formula 1. Yes, I know that probably makes me
pretty pathetic, but I will also be out enjoying the vibe.
Are the teams fighting it out in the patent office as well as on
the racetrack ? I asked my colleague Alain Deschamps to find
out, who I thank for his terrific help in putting the following
explanation together.
Formula 1 is an ongoing technological battle between teams vying
to extract every possible advantage from their machines in the
hopes of achieving a minute advantage over their competitors.
This intense competition is mirrored in other high-tech
fields – telecommunications and pharmaceuticals come to mind
– where patents are used extensively to protect hard-won
technical and scientific
