There have been many stories in the automotive sector
recently about collaborations which span different technology
sectors — one example being the tie-up between Jaguar Land
Rover and Blackberry to develop "infotainment" technology
for Jaguar Land Rover's next generation of
vehicles.
So-called 'infotainment systems' are set to develop at a
rapid rate over the next ten years, as content delivery to vehicles
— and the control of and interaction with that content from
users of vehicles — becomes more involved with the
development of the driverless and connected car.
If Jaguar Land Rover and Blackberry are developing technology
together, as this would suggest, then the collaboration will likely
generate intellectual property and the question of patent
applications will no doubt arise. Co-ownership of patents can be a
bit of a taboo subject as patents, by their definition, are
defensive rights that are not typically shared with others.
