Intellectual Property Protection Measures for DIMA'thon Innovation Competition

DIMA Health is committed to safeguarding the intellectual property (IP) of all participants in the DIMA’thon Innovation Competition. Our comprehensive measures ensure that innovators retain full control over their creations while participating in our competition. The following outlines our commitment to protecting your innovations:

1. Confidentiality Agreements

All individuals involved in the review and evaluation process, including judges, mentors, and staff, will sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs). This ensures your submissions remain confidential, preventing any unauthorized sharing or use of your proprietary information.

2. Data Handling and Access Control

We implement stringent access control protocols to ensure that only authorized personnel can access your submission materials. This includes :

  1. Secure online submission portals with encryption to protect data in transit and at rest.
  2. Role-based access controls, allowing only essential staff to view detailed submissions.
  3. Secure storage solutions to prevent unauthorized access to both physical and digital copies of your submission.

3. Sufficient Blinding Measures

To protect your IP during the evaluation process, we incorporate blinding measures :

  1. Anonymized Submissions: Your submission will be anonymized before presentation to judges and evaluators, with identifying information such as your name, organization, and contact details removed.
  2. Blinded Review Process: Evaluators will receive only the information necessary to assess the innovation’s potential impact and feasibility, with sensitive or proprietary details masked or redacted as appropriate.

4. IP Retention and Rights

The primary owner will retain full intellectual property rights. The following rights are maintained: 

  1. Retention of IP Rights: All primary IP rights related to your submission remain with you. DIMA Health will not claim any ownership or rights over your innovation.
  2. Usage Rights: By participating in the competition, you grant DIMA Health a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use your submission solely for competition-related activities, including promotion, evaluation, and showcasing your innovation on the DIMA Innovations Database.
  3. Control over Disclosure: You will have full control over how your innovation is disclosed and shared. Any public disclosure or showcasing will be done with your explicit consent.

5. Evaluation Process Transparency

We maintain transparency throughout the evaluation process to build trust and ensure the integrity of your submission :

  1. Clear Evaluation Criteria: Detailed criteria for evaluating submissions will be provided to all participants, ensuring you understand how your innovation will be assessed.
  2. Feedback and Queries: Participants can request feedback on their submissions and ask questions about the evaluation process, promoting an open and fair assessment of your innovation.

6. Legal Support and Advice

DIMA Health provides access to legal support and advice to help you understand your IP rights and protections :

  1. IP Workshops and Resources: Participate in workshops and access resources on IP protection, patenting, and licensing.
  2. Legal Consultation: Receive consultations from IP experts to address any concerns or questions related to protecting your innovation.

7. Dispute Resolution Mechanism

In case of disputes or concerns regarding IP protection, we have established a dispute resolution mechanism :

  1. Mediation and Arbitration: Any disputes related to IP protection will be resolved through mediation and arbitration, ensuring a fair and efficient resolution process.
  2. Clear Guidelines: Participants will receive clear guidelines on the steps to take if they believe their IP rights have been violated.

8. Protection of DIMA Health

While we strive to protect all participants’ IP, DIMA Health cannot be held liable for reasonable accidental disclosures of information. Participants agree that :

  1. Limitation of Liability: DIMA Health will not be held responsible for any reasonable accidental disclosure of information. Measures are in place to minimize such risks, but complete elimination of all risk is not guaranteed.
  2. Disclaimers: Participation in the DIMA’thon Innovation Competition indicates your acceptance of these IP protection measures and limitations of liability. DIMA Health reserves the right to update or modify these measures as necessary, ensuring continued protection and integrity of the competition.

Conclusion

By implementing these comprehensive measures, DIMA Health aims to create a secure and supportive environment for innovators to showcase their ground-breaking ideas without fear of IP theft or misuse. We are dedicated to fostering innovation while protecting the rights and interests of all participants.