Built for Tech Transfer Officers
Stronger Licensing Deals Start With Verifiable IP Evidence
You bridge the gap between research and commercial value. immut gives you blockchain-verified proof of invention dates, discovery priority, and institutional IP ownership that strengthens every licensing negotiation and dispute resolution.
The Challenge
What Keeps Tech Transfer Officers Up at Night
IP protection challenges that tech transfer officers face every day.
Invention Disclosures Arrive Late
Researchers often disclose inventions months after the initial discovery. By then, prior art may have emerged, collaborators may claim co-ownership, and the window for optimal protection has narrowed.
Priority Disputes With Partner Institutions
Joint research programmes create overlapping claims. Without timestamped evidence of who discovered what first, negotiations default to politics rather than facts.
Patent Budgets Cannot Cover Everything
Universities generate far more inventions than their patent budget can protect. Deciding what to patent means leaving valuable IP without any formal protection.
Spinout IP Negotiations Lack Evidence
When researchers spin out companies, determining what IP belongs to the university versus the founder requires clear documentation that often does not exist.
The Solution
How immut Fits Your Workflow
Blockchain-verified IP protection designed for how tech transfer officers actually work.
Timestamp Inventions at Discovery, Not Disclosure
Encourage researchers to timestamp findings in real time. By the time formal disclosure reaches your desk, a blockchain-verified evidence trail already exists.
Strengthen Licensing Negotiations
Present blockchain certificates proving your institution's priority dates. Licensees and partners cannot dispute timestamps verified on an immutable public ledger.
Protect Non-Patented Innovations
Use trade secret protection backed by blockchain timestamps for the many inventions that fall outside your patent budget. Maintain legal protection without patent costs.
Document Spinout IP Boundaries
Timestamp the IP that existed before a spinout is formed. Create clear, verifiable records of what belongs to the institution versus the founding team.
Real-World Scenario
A Day in the Life: TTO Managing a Licensing Dispute
James manages tech transfer at a Russell Group university. A pharmaceutical company is challenging his institution's priority on a drug delivery method, claiming their internal research pre-dates the university's discovery.
James reviews the blockchain timestamps his research team uploaded during the original project. The certificates show the discovery was timestamped 14 months before the pharma company filed their patent application.
He presents the blockchain certificates to the pharma company's legal team. The timestamps are independently verifiable on the public ledger, leaving no room for dispute about dates.
The pharma company's lawyers verify the blockchain records independently and confirm the timestamps are authentic. Negotiations shift in the university's favour.
The university secures a licensing deal with significantly better terms than originally offered, directly attributable to the strength of their timestamped evidence.
A stronger licensing deal secured through irrefutable blockchain evidence of the university's priority.
Benefits
Why Tech Transfer Officers Choose immut
Stronger Negotiating Position
Blockchain-verified dates are objective and independently verifiable. They remove ambiguity from licensing and partnership negotiations.
Institutional-Wide Coverage
Deploy across departments and research groups. Build a comprehensive IP portfolio that captures innovations your patent budget cannot cover.
Audit-Ready Documentation
Satisfy funding body requirements for IP management with timestamped evidence that auditors can independently verify.
Reduced Legal Costs
Clear evidence of priority reduces the time and cost of IP disputes. Many disputes can be resolved before they reach litigation.
Researcher Adoption
The 60-second timestamping process is simple enough that researchers actually use it. No training or behavioural change required.
Complement Existing Patents
Blockchain timestamps add an additional evidence layer to patented inventions and protect everything else in your portfolio.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How do blockchain timestamps strengthen licensing negotiations?
Blockchain timestamps provide independently verifiable proof of when an invention was documented. Unlike internal records or lab notebooks, blockchain evidence cannot be altered or backdated. This objective proof of priority removes ambiguity and strengthens your negotiating position.
Can this replace our patent strategy?
It complements rather than replaces patents. Use patents for inventions with clear commercial paths. Use blockchain timestamps with trade secret protection for everything else — processes, methods, interim discoveries, and innovations outside your patent budget.
How do we roll this out across the university?
Start with your highest-value research groups. The 60-second timestamping process requires no training. Most TTOs find that a brief email introduction is sufficient for researcher adoption. Team plans allow centralised management across departments.
Is blockchain evidence accepted in UK courts?
Yes. The UK Civil Evidence Act 1995 covers electronic records, and blockchain timestamps qualify as reliable electronic evidence. EU eIDAS Regulation explicitly accepts electronic timestamps. Chinese courts have accepted blockchain evidence since 2018.
What does this cost compared to patent filing?
A single UK patent costs £5,000-£15,000, with international filings adding tens of thousands more. immut Professional is $29/month for unlimited timestamps. You could protect an entire university's research output for less than one patent filing.
Ready to Protect Your IP?
Book a call to see how immut gives tech transfer officers instant, blockchain-verified proof of their innovations. Get protected on the call.