Our beloved IP Buddy, first seen in Inventors Digest’s June 2025 cover story, has been on the road again.
This time, the trail led to the Western Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) conference in September in Salt Lake City—where tech transfer professionals, researchers and innovation enthusiasts gathered to talk shop about moving university discoveries from lab bench to marketplace.
IP Buddy wasn’t just passing through. These friendly IP guides were on a mission from the Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation (IPOEF). While attendees networked and discussed licensing deals, IP Buddy was busy introducing conference-goers to IPBuddy.ai and the IP Made Easy curriculum—IPOEF’s free, educational powerhouse designed to make intellectual property concepts accessible to everyone.
Tech transfer professionals stopping by the IPOEF booth were pulling up IPBuddy.ai on their phones and tablets: asking questions they’ve always wondered about patents, trademarks and copyrights—or simply trying to stump IPBuddy and not having a lot of luck.
IP Buddy was there to help them test-drive the interactive platform and discover how these tools could revolutionize IP education at their institutions.
Pairing is good timing
Tech transfer offices are evolving into comprehensive innovation partners. They need tools that can reach researchers, students and entrepreneurs wherever they are.
IP Buddy recognized that AUTM’s meeting was ground zero for connecting with the people who could amplify IP education across campuses nationwide.
The conference buzzed with talk about artificial intelligence and new technologies. And there was IP Buddy, right in the mix, demonstrating how IPBuddy.ai uses conversational AI to make intellectual property education engaging and interactive.
While other AI tools were helping offices match technologies with licensees, IP Buddy was tackling something equally crucial: building IP literacy from the ground up.
Universities and research institutions are hungry for educational resources that don’t require massive budgets. IPOEF’s offerings—IPBuddy.ai and IP Made Easy—are completely free. No licensing fees, no per-user charges, no hidden costs.
IP Made Easy provides structured curriculum materials ready to drop into classrooms and workshops. IPBuddy.ai offers 24/7 access to IP guidance, answering questions from “What’s the difference between a patent and a trademark?” to “How do I know if my invention is patentable?”
A movement’s momentum
AUTM members work with inventors daily, run workshops, mentor entrepreneurs and shape how universities approach commercialization. When IP Buddy connects with these professionals and introduces them to IPOEF’s resources, the ripple effect is enormous.
Say one tech transfer officer introduces IPBuddy.ai to 10 faculty members. Those faculty members each share it with 20 students. Suddenly, hundreds of future inventors understand intellectual property concepts they might have found intimidating before.
That’s exponential impact. That’s why IP Buddy hit the road.
Where to next?
Keep your eyes peeled! IP Buddy could be at the next innovation conference, startup pitch competition or university workshop near you.
Want to meet IP Buddy yourself? Visit IPBuddy.ai and start a conversation. Join the growing community who believe that innovation starts with education.
This story was written by the Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation. IP Made Easy is available at www.ipoef.org/ip-made-easy. Visit IP Buddy at www.ipoef.org/ip-buddy.