Background:
Dean Kamen, an inventor, was invited to speak to a group of people, including academics and patent attorneys, about intellectual property and patents.

Disclaimer:
Kamen clarified that he is not a patent attorney and understood only half of what was discussed in the previous session.

Surface Tension and Adhesive Name Tags:
Kamen observed a problem with leaky cups and invented a solution by applying a heat-sensitive coating to eliminate surface tension and using a self-adhesive name tag.

Intellectual Property Devaluation:
Kamen expressed concern about the devaluation of intellectual property in the United States.

Girl Scouts and Cookies:
Kamen used the example of Girl Scouts and their cookies to illustrate how intellectual property can be associated with positive things.

Patent as a Troll:
Kamen noted that the word “patent” is now associated with “troll,” which he considers anti-intellectual and anti-progress.

Powerful Forces Orchestrating Negative Perception:
Kamen believes that the negative perception of patents is a result of an effectively orchestrated marketing scheme by powerful forces.

Lack of Understanding Among Rulemakers:
Kamen criticized policymakers’ lack of understanding of patents, as most have not obtained patents, licensed them, or run businesses that rely on innovation.

Sharing Knowledge through Patents:
Kamen emphasized the importance of patents as a tool to incentivize inventors to share their knowledge with others, leading to faster progress and innovation.

Government’s Role in Creating Wealth:
Kamen praised the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) as the only government agency whose mission is to create wealth.

Article One, Section Eight, Clause Eight:
Kamen referred to Article One, Section Eight, Clause Eight of the United States Constitution, which grants the government the authority to issue patents.

Kamen’s Concern for the Future of Invention:
Kamen expressed concern that the current devaluation of intellectual property may prevent inventors like him from pursuing innovation in the future.

Dispelling Rumors:
Kamen addressed the rumor that he started his career as a janitor at a hospital, clarifying that he was a biomedical engineer at a hospital.

Background:
Dean Kamen started inventing in his parents’ basement, driven by his brother’s need for better ways to treat neonates with cancer.

First Invention:
Kamen created a device to deliver precise amounts of toxic drugs to neonates, addressing the lack of equipment for treating small patients.

Inspiration for an Insulin Delivery System:
An adult physician at Yale suggested making the device smaller so that adults could use it for chronic, low-dose delivery of drugs like insulin.

Recognizing the Opportunity:
Kamen realized the potential of his technology to address the growing need for continuous insulin delivery among millions of people with diabetes.

Developing the Insulin Delivery System:
Kamen quickly designed and built a smaller, portable device using early-stage technology like membrane switches and LCD displays.

Challenges and Persistence:
It took several years to refine the device, conduct clinical research, and bring it to market.

Success and Impact:
Kamen’s insulin delivery system became a significant advancement, helping millions of people manage their diabetes more effectively.

Concept of Selling a Company:
Dean Kamen received offers from large companies interested in buying his medical device company.

Dilemma of Maintaining Innovation:
Kamen was concerned about the impact on his innovative culture and key personnel if he sold the company.

Preserving Innovation and Development:
He proposed a deal where he could start a new company, Deca Research, with a core development team.

Right of First Refusal:
In exchange for the key personnel and the right to start Deca Research, Kamen offered the buyer a right of first refusal for products in their field of business.

Deca Research’s Success:
Deca Research grew to include 500 technical experts, fostering a culture that embraces failure and encourages experimentation.

Benefits of Embracing Failure:
Kamen emphasizes the importance of celebrating failures as learning opportunities, allowing for quicker iterations and innovation.

Innovative Culture at Deca:
Kamen’s philosophy at Deca Research is to try new things, fail cheaply, and learn from mistakes, leading to eventual successes.

Challenges of Scaling Medical Innovations:
Developing medical products as a one-product company can be time-consuming and expensive. Covering marketing, sales, and support costs for a single product can be challenging. High costs can make products unaffordable despite royalties.

Leveraging Partnerships:
Partnering with larger companies allows for risk-sharing and leveraging their established infrastructure. Large companies can absorb royalties into their operations, reducing the financial burden on smaller companies. Partnerships enable smaller companies to focus on innovation and fast-failing, while larger companies handle scaling and commercialization.

Mutual Benefits:
Partnerships benefit both parties: Smaller companies gain access to resources, expertise, and distribution networks. Larger companies gain access to innovative technologies and products that complement their existing offerings.

Intellectual Property:
Patents play a crucial role in protecting intellectual property and incentivizing investment in innovation. Strong patents provide confidence to larger companies that their investments will be protected.

Case Study: Baxter Healthcare Partnership:
DEKA developed a compact and user-friendly dialysis system aimed at providing patients with dignity and convenience. Baxter Healthcare, recognizing the potential of the innovation, partnered with DEKA to bring the product to market. The partnership enabled DEKA to focus on innovation while Baxter handled scaling, manufacturing, and distribution.

Collaboration with Baxter:
Dean Kamen and his company, DEKA, developed a therapy cassette for home care. Baxter International agreed to license the patent and has since shipped 600 million therapy cassettes worldwide. This collaboration has set a model for DEKA to focus on front-end innovation while partnering with larger companies for production and distribution.

Partnership with Johnson & Johnson:
Kamen approached Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to address the inadequacies of traditional wheelchairs. J&J funded the development of a sophisticated, self-balancing wheelchair called the iBot. The iBot was approved by the FDA but faced reimbursement challenges from CMS. After several years, J&J returned the license to DEKA due to financial constraints.

Renewed Efforts with DEKA:
Kamen reacquired the license for the iBot with plans to improve its performance and reduce costs. He successfully petitioned the FDA to reclassify the iBot from Class 3 to Class 2, making it easier to obtain regulatory approval. Kamen is currently seeking a distribution partner, potentially outside the medical industry, to bring the next-generation iBot to market.

Toyota’s Interest:
Toyota expressed interest in collaborating with Kamen on the iBot. This potential partnership signifies a shift in DEKA’s approach, seeking collaboration with non-medical companies.

Toyota’s Interest in iBot:
Toyota, being the largest transportation company globally, approached Dean Kamen, recognizing the advanced technologies in his patent portfolio related to wireless control. Kamen declined to license the patent portfolio, proposing a partnership to make the next generation of iBot widely available to the disabled community, leveraging Toyota’s scale and resources. Toyota agreed to collaborate, announcing their intention to work together and bring the improved product to market in the following year.

Intellectual Property as a Transactional Basis:
Kamen emphasizes that all his transactions have been based on valuable intellectual property. He highlights that his invitation to testify at a hearing on patent trolls prompted him to introduce himself as a “troll” due to his innovative work.

The Challenge of Patent System Abuse:
Kamen criticizes the lack of articulation of the problem of patent trolls, leading to broad-brush legal solutions that negatively impact everyone. He points out that the focus on anecdotal examples of abuse results in laws that stifle innovation and affect all inventors.

The Importance of Patents in Technological Advancement:
Kamen stresses that patents are crucial for the development and success of industries like telecommunications, which thrived after deregulation. He questions whether he qualifies as a troll by some definitions but ultimately asserts the importance of intellectual property in driving innovation.

The Difficulty of Proving Patent Value:
Kamen acknowledges the challenge of proving the value of patents, as it is often easier to disprove than to prove their impact. He expresses concern about the potential consequences of changing patent rules, emphasizing the risk of undermining innovation.

Misguided Focus on Trolls:
Dean Kamen expressed concern that the proposed patent reforms were primarily motivated by the desire to target a small group of alleged “trolls” rather than addressing broader issues affecting inventors.

Intellectual Property Incentives:
Kamen emphasized the importance of the patent system in providing positive incentives for inventors to create and innovate, as outlined in the Constitution.

Narrow Perspective of Decision-Makers:
He criticized the decision-makers involved in the patent reform process for relying on a limited number of anecdotal examples and not considering the broader impact of the changes on the entire inventor community.

Faustian Deal of Patents:
Kamen argued that the patent system requires inventors to disclose their inventions to the public in exchange for a limited period of exclusivity. He questioned the logic of obtaining a patent if one did not intend to share or commercialize the invention.

Irrelevance of the Constitution:
Kamen expressed concern that the proposed reforms could render the constitutional provision related to patents irrelevant by undermining its fundamental purpose of encouraging innovation.

The Importance of the Patent System:
Dean Kamen emphasizes the importance of the patent system in protecting intellectual property and encouraging innovation. He draws an analogy between counterfeiting money and abusing the patent system, arguing that both are serious issues that should be addressed. Kamen believes that the patent system should be strengthened, not weakened, to support inventors and promote technological advancements.

The Current State of the Patent System:
Kamen criticizes the current efforts to weaken the patent system, making it harder to obtain and enforce patents. He argues that this trend is harmful to innovation and undermines the American principles of supporting risk-taking and rewarding new ideas. Kamen highlights the danger of allowing other countries to undermine intellectual property rights, as it would have negative consequences for the United States.

The Impact of Weakening the Patent System:
Kamen warns that if the patent system is weakened or eliminated, it will lead to a decline in innovation and economic growth. He emphasizes the importance of creating a legal framework that supports inventors and encourages the development of new technologies. Kamen urges policymakers and the public to recognize the value of the patent system and to strengthen it rather than weakening it.

The Need for Intellectual Property Education:
Kamen calls for efforts to educate policymakers, judges, and the general public about the importance of intellectual property and the patent system. He believes that a better understanding of these issues will lead to better decision-making and support for innovation. Kamen suggests using examples and real-world scenarios to illustrate the consequences of weakening the patent system.

The Importance of Encouraging Innovation:
Kamen emphasizes the need to create a culture that values innovation, risk-taking, and the pursuit of new ideas. He argues that the United States has historically been a leader in innovation due to its strong support for intellectual property rights. Kamen believes that weakening the patent system would undermine this legacy and make it more difficult for the United States to maintain its competitive edge.

Expanding FIRST’s Reach:
The goal is to make FIRST available to kids worldwide, providing them with the tools and encouragement to pursue invention.

FIRST as a Diplomatic Tool:
FIRST will be utilized as a tool for international diplomacy, aiming to foster international peace through friendly competition.

Inspiration from the Olympics:
The Olympics was founded on the idea that global competition could promote international peace. FIRST seeks to achieve similar results by engaging millennials and younger generations.

Global Participation in FIRST:
FIRST has grown significantly, with 46,000 schools participating this year. The 2022 championship in St. Louis attracted 120,000 attendees and teams from 86 countries.

FIRST Global Initiative:
FIRST has established First Global to facilitate international participation and cooperation. It promotes standardized rules, mathematics, and engineering as a common language for kids worldwide.

The Importance of FIRST:
FIRST aims to create a universal cooperative institution where kids from different backgrounds can compete on the same team. This helps them develop common tools, language, and a shared sense of purpose, fostering cooperation and understanding.

Common Enemy:
Kids worldwide face common enemies such as environmental issues, food insecurity, water scarcity, and security concerns. By focusing on these shared challenges, FIRST encourages kids to work together to find solutions, promoting innovation and cooperation.

The Role of Lawyers:
Lawyers have a significant influence on decision-making and can play a crucial role in supporting FIRST. By getting involved in FIRST, lawyers can help create a more supportive environment for science and engineering education. Lawyers can also encourage their firms, clients, families, and communities to participate in FIRST, expanding its reach and impact.

Corporate Sponsorship and Free Contributions:
FIRST receives support from corporate sponsors who provide resources and mentorship to the organization. Many of these sponsors offer their services for free, demonstrating their commitment to fostering innovation and education. This support enables FIRST to provide high-quality programs and opportunities to kids interested in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

The Power of Role Models:
FIRST seeks to inspire kids by showcasing real-life role models in science and technology, rather than just sports and entertainment figures. The program aims to change the culture of idolization in America and promote values that lead to meaningful careers.

Global FIRST:
FIRST has expanded internationally, with over 86 countries participating in the program. Shimon Peres, former president of Israel, believed FIRST had the potential to create a platform for international peace. FIRST plans to announce Global FIRST officially, aiming to do for science and technology what the Olympics intended to do for sports.

The Importance of Self-Representation:
FIRST emphasizes the significance of self-representation, encouraging kids to see themselves in STEM fields. The program aims to create a sense of belonging and inspire kids to pursue careers in science and technology.

Presidential Support:
FIRST has received bipartisan support from four presidents, who have recognized the program’s impact and brought the winning teams to the White House. The program has grown significantly over the years, outgrowing various venues and attracting a diverse group of participants.

Educational Impact:
Data collected by Brandeis University shows that FIRST has a profound impact on students’ academic performance, leading to significant improvements in math, science, and engineering. FIRST teams provide a supportive environment that fosters creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.

University Scholarships:
FIRST has secured $34 million in scholarships from 182 universities, recognizing the academic excellence of its participants. Major universities, including MIT, Stanford, and Caltech, offer scholarships to FIRST scholars, demonstrating their commitment to supporting future innovators.

China’s Embrace of FIRST:
China has embraced FIRST, recognizing its value in developing creativity and problem-solving skills in their students. The Chinese Academy has implemented FIRST programs in 4,600 schools and aims to expand it to every school in the country. The Chinese government acknowledges that FIRST complements their focus on math and science education, addressing the need for creativity and innovation.

Robotics in China:
In Beijing, a school features a prominent picture of the Chinese president with a quote emphasizing robotics as a gateway to the third industrial revolution.

Robotics and Jobs:
Kamen challenges the notion that robotics poses a threat to jobs, citing the example of bulldozers not eliminating ditch digger jobs.

Shimon Peres’ Perspective:
Kamen shares an excerpt from a letter by Israeli statesman Shimon Peres, who expresses optimism that robotics can contribute to healing global wounds.