Open Password – Wednesday November 17, 2021
#999
Minesoft – Brexit – Corona – Patbase release – Jochen Lennhof – Minesoft Deutschland GmbH – Minesoft Ltd. – Ann Chapman – Great Britain – Jorge Stegemann – Peter Niermann – GDPR – Home Offices – M-Teams – Online Meetings – Support – Go Live – Webinars – Conferences and Meetings – PATKM – Knowledge Management – Competition and Technology Monitoring – Taxonomy – PATDOC – Patent Attorneys – Patent Attorneys – Legal Status – Translations – Family Tree – Office Actions – Legal Tech – Fedom to Operate – Economic Development
ZBW – Open Access Transformation – Duncker & Humblot – YES – Finding solutions together with researchers
Cybercerime – Euler Hermes – Human vulnerability – Ransomware – Hacking as a Service – Home office – Security standards – Andreas Dondera – State Criminal Police Office – Payment fraud – Deepfakes – Rüdiger Kirsch – Fake President – Criminal Social Engineering – Real-time conversations – Fake voice profiles – Jesko Trahms – BDO Legal Law Firm
- Title
Minesoft: Made ends meet despite Brexit and Corona – a Patbase release and new products in the middle of the pandemic – Interview with Jochen Lennhof
ZBW: New model for open access transformation
III.
ZBW (2): German student competition is becoming more international
- Euler-Hermes: Vulnerabilities in humans and home offices – Deepfakes: With fake voice profiles in real-time communication
Minecraft
We made ends meet despite Brexit and Corona
In the middle of the pandemic, a Patbase release
and new products
Jochen Lennhof is managing director of Minesoft Deutschland GmbH, a 100% subsidiary of Minesoft Ltd. (London).
Jochen Lennhof
If I can address you, Ann Chapman and the entire Minesoft team as citizens, then I assume that you were on the losing side in the Brexit referendum. At least I would rather have the UK back (in the EU) today rather than tomorrow.
As very European citizens and still active in business – we would have been happier without Brexit. Since a different decision was then made, everyone involved had to adapt to the new reality. The uncertainty has been a major problem for companies, but also for people. How will economic cooperation, the movement of goods and goods or freedom of movement develop? We hope that pragmatism will prevail and that the existing challenges can be resolved quickly. There is a certain irony in the fact that reports of fuel shortages, missing truck drivers and empty shelves in supermarkets and warehouses are currently increasing, especially in the information age, but should not be a reason for cynicism. Britain will always be part of Europe and will play an important role for us, both culturally and economically.
Brexit is here and we have to deal with it. At Minesoft, this led to the establishment of a company under German law, a GmbH.
There were two reasons for this. On the one hand, we wanted to set an example and underline the importance of the German-speaking market for Minesoft. On the other hand, the phase of uncertainty surrounding Brexit was of course one of the reasons for choosing a 100% subsidiary of Minesoft Ltd. to have another formal foothold in Germany. With my two colleagues Jorge Stegemann and Peter Niermann we are active from Neuss.
The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) applies across the EU, but not in Britain.
But for us it is. We have made this clear both publicly on our website and in the contracts with our customers that we will of course comply with the GDPR. We only choose partners who also guarantee this formally, technically and organizationally.
Brexit, we thought at the time, would be the big crisis, but then came COVID-19. How were the associated challenges overcome in the home offices and in further internal collaboration at Minesoft?
This happened without any major frictional losses. As a medium-sized software and IT company, we were used to flexible and mobile working anyway. Almost everyone was equipped with laptops from the start and could immediately move their workstations to their homes. Everyone also had an internet connection. The teams were then organized across individual areas such as support, IT and sales. However, we had already established MS teams beforehand and so the exchange and communication could be implemented very quickly and effectively. Larger online meetings now took place more frequently in order to maintain visibility and cohesion between employees.
But the real challenge of COVID-19, I suspect, was support and customer care, especially because Minesoft releases complex products that require explanation and are normally sold through personal contacts. And you also carried out a major release.
Yes, of course more effort was required here. However, things were and are going very well here. We have organized a lot of training courses and seminars. This was also due to the fact that we carried out our big PatBase release, including the introduction of a new, extremely powerful search engine, very successfully in autumn 2020 despite Corona. In addition to receiving information emails about the release change, users were able to continue working immediately when they first dialed in on the Monday after “Go Live”. We prepared everything so that everything was implemented automatically. We migrated all stored information, monitoring profiles, search results and folders as well as the IDs in advance. We are very proud that it worked so well. Thanks to the training and seminars for the release, all customers were optimally prepared.
In addition to the release change, we are trying to further draw attention to ourselves and deepen customer loyalty through topic-related webinars.
However, the canceled conferences and meetings are more difficult to compensate for. Not only because conversations with customers are canceled, but also formal and informal conversations with other companies and offices. For us, this has always been an essential source of information about new trends and developments in the market.
The easing that is currently being felt in the fall gives us hope for better times. However, whatever normality will not come until next year. Companies will then be allowed to send their employees to conferences again – or even receive visitors. However, many have continued to limit their travel activities to the bare essentials until the end of the year.
Minesoft Germany (from left): Jochen Lennhof, Jorge Stegemann and Peter Niermann
Further complex products that require explanation have been added. PATKM was placed alongside the core product PATBASE, where KM stands for Knowledge Management.
PatKM has been in use as an independent module for many years. In addition to research via PatBase, users can now also easily anchor their own portfolio and third-party intellectual property rights with competition and technology monitoring. With the help of our own taxonomy, this portfolio with the associated knowledge of our own company is made accessible in a controlled manner in the form of comments and ratings to users who are not necessarily familiar with all the details of the patent system. They see their portfolio the way their management does – with a company-specific categorization. Here too, the improved API in conjunction with the powerful PatBase Engine allows even better access to the data, for example to provide company-owned applications with information.
With PATDOC (for Patent Documents) you primarily want to support patent attorneys.
We have been collecting data from various offices around the world for over 16 years and allow this treasure trove of data to grow every day. So it makes sense to offer this asset in a targeted manner.
In a law firm, research is usually not the focus. Rather, a list of existing patents is the starting point. Depending on the task, for example, the question of the legal status may arise, i.e. whether the patent is still alive or has already expired. This can take a lot of time if the list is longer. With PatDocs you have everything clearly summarized.
The same applies to translations. PatDocs customers appreciate the ability to have all translations delivered to one place with just one click. Working with the family tree in PatDocs can also save a lot of time. Here the individual relationships of the patent specifications within a family are clearly displayed and graphically broken down. Especially with patent publications in the USA such as the Provisionals or continuations-in-part registrations, it is helpful to be able to quickly identify the individual connections among the members of a family. PatDocs is very easy to use and also offers monitoring of so-called office action , i.e. all correspondence between offices, lawyers and applicants.
On the other hand, IPShare, as the name suggests, stands for collaboration and also belongs to the “Legal Tech” area.
Like PatDocs, this is an online application tailored to the IP industry for project-related collaboration, for example to take a closer look at individual intellectual property rights as part of a “Freedom-to-Operate”. Law firms or project teams can easily collaborate and work productively within a business unit at a local or global level – for example, by commenting, highlighting and marking intellectual property rights within a project. Color codes can be added to create or customize your own internal classification.
Users are assigned to a project with fully customizable permission levels and can also exchange chat messages to improve collaboration within the application. Just like PatDocs, IPShare can be used independently of Patbase.
How has Minesoft weathered the pandemic in terms of economic results?
We also couldn’t completely escape the current situation. Many projects and investment decisions have been postponed. However, we were also able to use the time for our release change, present the new search engine and the many extensions in webinars and thus keep ourselves in conversation. Of course, it was helpful that as an established provider we have a broad customer base.
Despite all the adversities, we were able to significantly increase both sales and the number of customers in both Corona years. We also retained our staff and did not have to resort to measures such as short-time work. This situation has allowed us to maintain our own R&D activities and continue the development of our solutions as usual.
It was also reassuring when I visited my colleagues in London for the first time in 1.5 years – and they recognized me!
E.g
New model for open access transformation
(ZBW) “Subscribe to Open” is the name of the open access business model that the ZBW – Leibniz Information Center for Economics and the scientific publisher Duncker & Humblot are now launching. From 2022, the pilots will be the two economic journals “Credit and Capital Markets – Kredit und Kapital” and the “Journal of Contextual Economics – Schmollers Jahrbuch”. In addition, the cooperation partners digitize extensive archive volumes of the journals and make them available in open access.
“Subscribe to Open” means: Institutions and libraries that previously subscribed to the journals are now investing in switching the journals to open access. The existing financing structures of the magazines are used. In addition to the existing subscribers, the ZBW is also contributing financially to secure the transformation. With this new model, authors do not incur any author fees (Article Processing Charges).
E.g
German student competition is becoming more international
YES! is the largest student competition for business and society in Germany. There are two changes new for the coming YES! year: In addition to the five regions, there is an additional purely digital region. With YES! BRIDGE also includes schools from the UK and USA. URL: https://www.young-economic-summit.org/
The nationwide student competition “ YES! – Young Economic Summit “of the ZBW – Leibniz Information Center for Economics and the Joachim Herz Foundation starts the new round. 2022 is all about YES! everything about climate goals, COVID-19, gender gap, unemployment, new work, smart cities, educational inequality, migration and digitalization. All topics can be found here: www.young-economic-summit.org/mitmachen/
Under the motto “Finding solutions – together with researchers”, students in grades 10+ will work with researchers from renowned research institutes to develop their own ideas for regional and global challenges in the economy, society, politics and the environment.
The YES! team has chosen over 50 topics for 2022 and has also brought five new scientific institutes on board. This means that this year’s school teams have access to a total of 30 research institutes with more than 80 scientists nationwide who will support them as mentors and intensively discuss their proposed solutions.
Interested teachers and students can register for the upcoming YES! from now until December 12, 2021. Register in 2022. Where do I sign? www.young-economic-summit.org/mitmachen/ Where can I find out about the YES! inform? https://www.young-economic-summit.org/faq-frequently-asked-questions/ Where can I ask questions about the YES! place? On the YES! registration page Online question times are offered for those interested. These are currently planned for Thursday, November 18th, 6 p.m. and Friday, November 26th, 6 p.m. If necessary, further appointments will follow.
Euler Hermes Germany
Vulnerabilities in people and home offices
Deepfakes: With fake voice profiles
in real-time communication
- Cybercrime: Focuses on ransomware and social engineering crimes
- Payment fraud increases by 35% in 2020, order fraud increases by 25% compared to the previous year
- “Hacking as a service”: Software and training on the Darknet open up new gateways for cybercriminals
- Deepfakes: Real-time conversations in video and audio calls
- Beware of the trap: increasing liability risks from cybercrime
(Euler Hermes) Cybercrime is becoming more divided and international and is often highly lucrative for the perpetrators. Home office and a lack of IT security standards play into the hands of fraudsters, as does technological progress through artificial intelligence (AI). Cyber criminals have two main focuses: ransomware offenses and business email compromise (BEC), which also include fake president (CEO fraud), payment fraud (payment diversion fraud) and order fraud (fake identity).
“The increasingly professional fraudsters don’t necessarily have to be hackers themselves,” says Andreas Dondera, cyber expert at the Hamburg State Criminal Police Office. “In this area of crime, however, the greatest weak point remains people. For companies, it is therefore essential to train their employees and implement clear rules – for example for dealing with changed account details or different delivery addresses.”
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Payment fraud is particularly popular: the number of cases increases by 35%
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There are a large number of current cases. Recently, a company made a payment twice due to an email with fake account details – this led to a redirection of payment transactions and a total loss of 1.3 million euros. Recently, fraudsters stole almost 6 million euros through a manipulated invoice. In most cases, however, the damage amounts are between around 30,000 euros and one million euros.
“Payment fraud is currently on the rise,” says Rüdiger Kirsch, fraud expert at Euler Hermes. “Last year the number of cases increased by 35%, and order fraud increased by 25%. Based on the trend so far, this is likely to continue in 2021. The home office is not only an El Dorado for fraudsters because of lower security standards. It is also becoming fewer controlled and communicated. The hurdle to call a colleague and ask them about a process is often much higher here. Account details are simply changed quickly – often with fatal consequences. Criminal ‘social engineers’ don’t hack systems, but people. The social Distancing plays into their hands.”
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Home office on “autopilot” – Fake President damage amounting to 400,000 euros
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This was also the case with a fake president scam that recently occurred in central Germany. The head of accounting does not question a large transfer request that she receives in her home office. She doesn’t even check the email address closely. Using Teams, she asks a clerk in her home office to provide the necessary second signature. The payment ordered by the alleged CEO for alleged share purchases of over 400,000 euros is approved.
As a rule, “social engineering” is crucial for success in CEO fraud. A conversation in real time is essential for this manipulation of the victims: the perpetrators express appreciation, allay concerns, build pressure or answer questions – all with the aim of conveying maximum trust in the authenticity of the order.
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Deepfakes: Real-time conversations take “social engineering” to a new level
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“Scammers are moving with the times: manipulated audio or video calls have long been technically possible,” says Dirk Koch, a self-employed lawyer and cyber expert. “When the fake CEO with the right look and voice gives instructions for transfers, it takes social engineering and fraud opportunities to a whole new level. Also the fact that hackers have long become service providers and their software is available to numerous buyers on the dark web offering at the same time multiplies the risks for companies.”
Back in 2019, the CEO of the British subsidiary of a German company fell for a fake voice profile in the “The False John” case, which even imitated the German company boss’s slight accent in English. 220,000 euros were gone. In 2020, fraudsters used an audio deepfake to rob a bank in Hong Kong of the equivalent of around 30 million euros. There have also been isolated cases in Germany where false managing directors called their bank with fake voice profiles.
“In France, in one case, fraudsters even recreated an entire office to give the video call maximum authenticity,” says Dondera. “I’m surprised that more criminals aren’t taking advantage of the technical possibilities. At least not yet.”
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Suddenly in the pillory: cyber attacks pose major liability risks for managers
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In addition to financial and data protection risks, cybercrime poses increasing compliance and liability risks for managers. Companies are more often taking recourse against their own managers. The allegations are: breaches of duty of care or lack of risk analysis.
“In case of doubt, managers must prove that they have taken appropriate precautionary measures and that they are not to blame,” says Jesko Trahms, specialist lawyer for criminal law and partner at BDO Legal Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH. “However, without appropriate evidence, this is often difficult or even impossible – especially in the case of cybercrime or fraud. Many companies also have some catching up to do when it comes to compliance.”
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