Entrepreneur Spotlight

 

Vaughn North, Founder, Utahinventors.org

 

By: Jenny Willden

 

Five years ago, Vaughn North, founding partner of Thorpe North and Western Law Firm, decided to give back to society. After practicing law as a patent attorney for more than 30 years, he began conception of a statewide inventor organization for Utah. North said the goal of the group is "to make it easy for all inventors in the state to join together with one voice and make an impact."

The group, called Utahinventors.org, launched this year on April 28 and had an inaugural organizational meeting to make plans and select committee members. Currently the site offers forums for all types of inventors and links to important inventor Web sites.

Launch was able to talk with North about Utahinventors.org and learn about the organization's progress and future goals.

 

Launch: How did you get Utahinventors.org off the ground?

Vaughn North: It turned out to be much easier than I anticipated. I met with government officials and they wanted to be part of it. I met with university officials and they not only expressed interest, but also wanted to make it happen. They offered space to use, helped create ideas and brainstorm. The legal community helped with funding and support. People like Dinesh Patel, inventor of the year, agreed to speak and provide ideas. It was just a matter of marshalling the resources and making things move forward.

 

Launch: Why are you passionate about helping inventors?

VN: I am a patent attorney with 10 patents of my own and it's been a great career for me. I have always enjoyed working with inventors. They have a positive attitude, they are a very friendly type of person, they are enjoyable to work with and they really need help. As an inventor, you are one person against the world and any help you can get is great. Also, the need is there and I have the time to do it and the money to invest in it. It's one of those things you do because it needs to be done.

 

Launch: Why is there a need for this group?

VN: Twelve years ago Utah had an inventor group, but it collapsed. I made the decision to reinvigorate the group because Utah has so many inventors that need support. In Utah, right now, we are at a turning point. We can develop Utah as one of the top states for technology. The goal is to make it become like Silicon Valley. We have history that supports this from Utah's past inventors. We simply have had a problem because big corporations acquire our inventions. The state now wants to build an infrastructure that supports keeping technological growth in Utah. The technology community has matured and is doing great work, but we also need a group for inventors to bring those creative minds together so they have some peer group association. Some don't recognize that they need it, but that's a small part of the community. I want to help the rest of the community have a resource that will provide education and peer association.

 

 

Launch: Where do you see this group in five years?

VN: I think it will represent a voice in the community similar to other group voices, like UTC for the tech community, MUP for manufacturers, and groups for various commercial interests. Everyone recognizes the value of networking because it enables them to move forward in a way they couldn't as individuals. Utahinventors.org will become the voice of inventors. The state is inclining that way and is sending inventors to this organization. There may also be an expansion of this group into other states like IdahoInventors.org and many others. We will share ideas with these groups, stimulate technological growth and give inventors better recognition. Also, in five years, Utahinventors.org should be well established, have a decent budget and good leadership. It's hard to say exactly what it will be because it is different from what other states have. Most other states' inventor groups remain more of a club or a resource for gathering information. We hope this will become more of a dynamic entity that accomplishes things instead of just holding meetings.

 

Launch: How is this group unique from other inventor groups in the United States?

VN: What makes us unique is that we serve corporate, independent, university and student inventors. Most inventor organizations are for independent inventors only and these people usually struggle from a lack of funds, which can make maintaining an inventor organization difficult. We have the support of the state and larger corporations, which makes our funding more stable. We also give inventors real time recognition. Most inventor recognition programs wait until an invention is successful, but our awards recognize conception upfront. The invention does not need to have been made into a product.

 

Launch: How can local inventors join the organization?

VN: They just click on the member link on the Web site and pay a membership fee to become a member. They will also begin receiving e-mails and invitations to special events.

 

 

Launch: What events are coming up?

VN: Our main event of the year, the Utah Inventors Symposium, will take place on Oct. 26. This all-day seminar will feature inventor awards and recognition. It will also offer guest speakers and breakout sessions for all types of inventors. Classes will discuss inventorship, legal requirements, disclosure protection, marketing techniques, methods for evaluating an invention, and many others.  The two main speakers are Woody Norris and Dr. Stephen Jacobsen. Norris started as a radio shack manager, built his own education and now has many different inventions. He was the 2005 winner of the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT National Inventor Award for work in parametric sound. Because of his life history, all inventors will be able to relate to him. Jacobsen is the classic professional entrepreneur/inventor. His patents are in the hundreds and he is internationally recognized for his work. He will be speaking on intended methods. There will be a lot of workshops for people's individual needs. Registration for the event can be done on Utahinventors.org.

 

Launch: Finally, name an exciting, recent Utah invention.

VN: Jacobsen created an exoskeleton for combat that is fully robotic. A soldier wears the skeleton and has five times the strength of a human. The soldier just puts it on, moves and the skeleton responds. There are no controls or joysticks. It is amazing.

 

Launch - Fall 2007

 

 

For the full "digital magazine" version of Fall 2007, visit: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/growutah/launch_2007fall