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I shrunk the world
Honey I shrunk the world
The mining operation, located in the dense Indonesian jungle, is so remote that
getting to it, much less operating it, is a feat in itself. Nevertheless, they
are in constant contact with their Jakarta head office and without need for
expensive satellite time. Their link with the world is a high powered antenna.
If they wanted to surf the Internet they could, but the antenna is mainly used
for standard fax and telephone lines.
The high tech buoy is drifting through the bitter Tasman Sea. It is solitary.
Barnacles encrust its underwater base. Salt laden winds and rain bucket it day
in and night out. Occasionally, it is a tiny refuse to a lone migratory bird.
Despite these conditions it has been faithfully transmitting vital data for
nearly two years to an oceanographic researcher sitting at her desk in Perth's
CBD.
Conjuring up the high tech intrigue of the James Bond film of the same name,
Moonraker Australia Pty Ltd, based in Hobart, is a world-leader in communication
systems for professional, military and leisure applications. Their intellectual
property is clearly central to their success into both the domestic and world
markets.
Along with high powered antenna systems and satellite-tracked buoys Moonraker's
telemetry equipment has also been used to track giant elephant seals. The satellite
tracking equipment, which was placed in pressure cases and attached to the seals,
survived dunkings to 1200 m as the seals moved 1000 kms south to Antarctica.
Moonraker technology has also been used to track sperm whales at similar depths.
The nature of communicating with remote and isolated areas of the world means
that Moonraker products must excel in harsh conditions. They must survive cyclonic
winds of 200-250 kms/h, temperatures ranging from -30 to 50ƒCelsius and
100 per cent humidity.
This level of quality has enabled Moonraker to gain international and Australian
standard accreditation and become a regular supplier to several navies, including
the Royal Australian Navy.
Their technology is clearly valuable and their R&D efforts continue to
keep them at the top. But ask Chris Edwards, the company's Managing Director,
and he will tell you that Moonraker, as a registered trade mark, is among their
most important assets.
'And we came before the movie too,' adds Edwards.
In fact, Moonraker, the company, has its origins in the late 1960s when Edwards'
father retired. He was a communications engineer and a keen boater, with time
on his hands and the desire for a high powered antenna.
'Dad designed it and had his friends clamouring for their own antenna. Eventually
he came to the attention of Australia' largest high frequency transceiver manufacturer,'
says Edwards.
Then Chris joined his father.
'I could see that there was huge potential, so I threw my lot in with my father
for a month to trial it. We never looked back,' says Edwards.
'We had been using the name Moonraker since the late 60s but didn't register
it around this time. Shortly after, the movie came out. We did find that we
got some recognition, and perhaps a bit of momentum from the coincidence,' says
Edwards.
'Aside from the popularity of the movie, taking our trade mark seriously helped
to position us and made us memorable. We know this because the movie has long
been forgotten, but our registered trade mark is still valuable to us.'
Because the technology they deal with evolves so quickly, Moonraker includes
trade secrets and rapid development as important elements to their intellectual
property strategy. The integrity of their trade secrets is maintained through
employee/subcontractor agreements to halt any dissemination of their technology
to other unauthorised parties. They also use confidentiality agreements when
their know-how must pass to the outside world.
'You can go from a backyard operation to one that trades around the world,
as we have, but to be a best practice organisation, you have to understand intellectual
property rights and these rights as they exist in other countries,' says Edwards.
Additional information
The following trade mark is registered by Moonraker Australia Pty Ltd:
Moonraker
313126 (Class 9)
You can conduct an online search for
these or other trademarks.
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