A little bird told us that V.O. Patents & Trademarks, who has been a High Tech Campus resident for the last 18 years, will leave their nest at HTC 84 and will be moving to the 7th floor of Lucis One (HTC 91). The new high-end office space at the south side of Campus will be completed this fall.
We took the opportunity to talk with two V.O. team members to highlight their story for our 25th anniversary theme: Rewind & Fast Forward. With this year-long campaign, we look back at 25 years of open innovation and celebrate our history as we look forward to the next 25 years.
So, who better to highlight than V. O., which has been a HTCE resident nearly 75% of the last 25 years?
Johannes van Melle, Partner and Founder V.O. Patents & Trademarks
We sat with Johannes van Melle, Partner and Founder at V.O., and Bart Jan Niestadt, Partner, in HTC 84, with its stunning view overlooking the lake, to learn about their growth, how they have seen Campus evolve through the years and how they are now growing with Campus. Let’s see if the view from Lucis One, the highest building on Campus, compares to HTC 84 …
Johannes van Melle, left, and Bart Jan Niestadt
In the early days, V.O. preferred a city environment, never thinking of opening an office in an industrial, high tech environment such as HTCE. Johannes says the Campus feels like a "small village," where chance encounters spark new opportunities, and now they can’t imagine leaving this ecosystem.
When they first arrived on Campus, they mainly came to work with startups, who had advanced technologies to build their startups but needed help filing patents to protect their intellectual property.
But as the years went by, they realized how powerful the Campus network is. Now they refer to it as a “small village,” where you can make informal connections. And the green environment! They love the setting of HTCE, which is more like a nature preserve than business park.
“It’s great that we have been welcomed since day one here,” said Johannes, even though V.O. is a service company and could be considered a “vreemde eend in de bijt,” or the “odd duck in the crowd.”
While V.O. may not be a traditional tech company, the firm offers crucial services for Campus companies and tech startups. That’s what makes V.O. a stand-out resident here at HTCE. It takes all kinds of organizations to build a thriving ecosystem. Johannes explained that V.O. prefers to be involved in the early stage of the startup process to provide guidance and support in defining and refining their goals and strategies.
V.O. starts the conversation with founders with important questions: What do you want to do? What makes your proposition unique? They advise founders to analyze the competition and learn what is proprietary for their company. Bart Jan added, “Startups understand the importance of patents but often seek guidance on how and when to begin the process.”
V.O. is active in the startup ecosystem at Campus and in the Brainport region, sponsoring the Gerard & Anton Awards each year, for example. The awards recognize the 10 most promising startups in the region, and V.O. gives four hours of patent guidance to winners.
A key focus area for V.O. Patents & Trademarks is artificial intelligence patents, which Bart Jan called "difficult" yet "increasingly important." While software alone can be hard to patent, combining AI with technical implementations provides better chances for protection.
HTCE has been adapting to this change for the past several years, starting with the opening of the AI Innovation Center in HTC 5 and a vibrant applied AI ecosystem-within-an-ecosystem. V.O. is clearly also responding to the challenges and opportunities of emerging technologies.
Finding qualified candidates to join V.O. continues to be challenging, given the need for strong technical backgrounds as well as legal expertise. "Patent work requires understanding complex technologies and clearly communicating novel inventions to various audiences," Johannes added.
It’s a long process, taking five years from study program to completing exams to becoming a patent associate. Johannes and Bart Jan praised a trainee who recently passed the rigorous European patent bar exam on his first attempt, not an easy feat.
V.O. associates focus on high tech and electronics, so it’s imperative they understand the technology behind the patents to help clients navigate patent submissions. Bart Jan and Johannes both earned physics degrees before getting their patent law degrees. Johannes worked at an Internet startup before joining V.O., and Bart Jan worked in the telecommunications industry on network strategy and design. For the job, it is advantageous to have experience in a technical industry to understand how the market works and develop commercial skills. Most of the V.O. attorneys have such relevant experience, which allows them to understand the clients’ needs.
Do you want to become a part of the High Tech Campus ecosystem and establish your office or electrotechnical lab at Lucis One (HTC 91)? Download the brochure with detailed floor plans and interior/exterior artist impressions. Space is available from 500 square meters. The completion of Lucis One is scheduled for fall 2024.
Left: Bart Jan and Johannes checking out the proverbial "corner office," with a view of the lake and the heath. Top: Pointing out PSV stadium in Eindhoven centrum. Bottom: from left, Elsbeth Smit, Kelly Antonis, Johannes and Bart Jan look at renderings of the reception area at Lucis One.
The new office at Lucis One will double V.O.’s workspace and allow the team to grow. Currently with 15 employees, Johannes is confident the new office can support up to 30 people over time. “We've been feeling cramped here for a while," he said. “The new space will allow us to accommodate our team as we continue expanding to support more clients.”
V.O. Patents & Trademarks has seen technologies germinate, grow into companies and skyrocket. They’ve seen many changes in the past 18 years, and they’ve grown along with High Tech Campus.
Left: Johannes, Bart Jan and Elsbeth on the 7th floor of Lucis One, new home to V.O. Patents & Trademarks. Right: Johannes, Bart Jan and Elsbeth looking at the floor plan.
Looking ahead, Johannes is very optimistic about continued growth as technology advances. "There will always be new initiatives each year at the Campus,” he said.
We, too, are excited to provide the space for companies of the future – and the service companies in the ecosystem – to grow in our “small village."
Left: the view of The Strip from Lucis One. Right: All Lucis One residents will have an iluminated sign. V.O. Patents & Trademarks is the first one installed.
