IP Glossary - D

describes the data management life cycle for the data which is to be collected, processed and/or generated in a Horizon 2020 project.

a collection of independent components (information, works, data or other materials) arranged in a methodical or systematic way and according to specific criteria, and made individually accessible by electronic or other means. Under EU law, the cumulative protection of databases is possible under copyright (if the arrangement of data meets the conditions of originality and creativity) and more broadly, under a sui generis right (provided that the arrangement of data has involved a qualitatively or quantitatively substantial investment).

are additional outputs (e.g. information, special report, a technical diagram, brochure, list, a software milestone or other building block of the action) that must be produced at a given moment during the action (normally not at the same time as the periodic/final reports).

are used to prove the viability of new technologies, which cannot be commercialised directly (e.g. testing, prototype, scale-up studies, design, piloting innovative processes, products and services, validation, performance verification, etc.).

is a patent that cannot be used, exploited, or commercialized without obtaining a license from the owner of an earlier patent on which it relies, in order to avoid infringement.

in the context of Horizon 2020, refers to Annex 1 to the Grant Agreement, which is built on the proposal's “Technical Annex”.

in the context of FP7, refers to Annex I to the Grant Agreement. It contains information on the work packages, deliverables, milestones, resources and costs of the beneficiaries, as well as a text with a detailed description of the work.

constitutes the outward appearance of a product or part thereof resulting, in particular, from the characteristics of its lines, contours, colours, shape, surface, structure and/or materials and/or its ornamentation.

Products with a protected designation of origin (PDO) owe their quality or characteristics to the geographical environment, including its natural and human factors. These products must always be produced, processed and prepared in the specific geographical region from which they take their name.

Is systematic work, focused on existing knowledge gained from research and / or experience, that leads to the production of new materials, products or devices; to the implementation of new processes, systems and services, or to substantially improve already existing ones.

means the research and innovation activities undertaken by the Commission through the Joint Research Centre (JRC).

in FP7, refers to the use made by the participant owning the foreground, for example through further research, commercial or industrial exploitation in its own activities.

the act of making an invention publicly known. A full and clear disclosure is required within a patent application to obtain protection, and any public disclosure of the invention—whether by the applicant or a third party—prior to filing may jeopardize the novelty of the invention and render it unpatentable.

All patent applications must describe the invention clearly and completely enough to be carried out by a person specialised in the given field.

in FP7, refers to the disclosure of foreground by participants through any appropriate means and including the publication in any form. The disclosure of foreground that results from formalities for protection (such as the patent application publication) is not considered as dissemination.

means, in Horizon 2020, the public disclosure of the results by any appropriate means (other than resulting from protecting or exploiting the results), including by scientific publications via any medium.

a procedure in certain jurisdictions that allows a patent application disclosing more than one distinct invention to be split into two or more separate applications, each disclosing a single invention that is sufficient for patentability under the applicable patent laws.

is a human-friendly, unique identifier on the Internet that translates numeric IP addresses into words and is used by individuals, organizations, or government bodies to identify websites, email services, or other online resources. Each domain name typically consists of a second-level domain representing the entity and a top-level domain (TLD, e.g., .com, .org, .eu). While domain names are unique and can have commercial value, their registration does not itself constitute an intellectual property right, though conflicts with trademarks may arise.

‘Patent claims’ refers to language used in patents to define the scope of the patent. Patent claims define the parameters of inventions that are includable or excludable from the patent monopoly. Patent claims are usually drafted by a patent attorney, as the words used to draft the claims are critical in determining how broad or narrow the scope of protection of the patent is.

the evaluation of an asset or a set of assets in order to get reliable knowledge about their status. (See IP due diligence)