How a flexible and creative approach to intellectual property can help an organization accomplish goals ranging from building market share to expanding an industry. Most managers leave intellectual property issues to the legal department, unaware that an organization's intellectual property can help accomplish a range of management goals, from accessing new markets to improving existing products to generating new revenue streams. In this book, intellectual property expert and Harvard Law School professor John Palfrey offers a short briefing on intellectual property strategy for corporate managers and nonprofit administrators. Palfrey argues for strategies that go beyond the traditional highly restrictive “sword and shield” approach, suggesting that flexibility and creativity are essential to a profitable long-term intellectual property strategy—especially in an era of changing attitudes about media. Intellectual property, writes Palfrey, should be considered a key strategic asset class. Almost every organization has an intellectual property portfolio of some value and therefore the need for an intellectual property strategy. A brand, for example, is an important form of intellectual property, as is any information managed and produced by an organization. Palfrey identifies the essential areas of intellectual property—patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret—and describes strategic approaches to each in a variety of organizational contexts, based on four basic steps. The most innovative organizations employ multiple intellectual property approaches, depending on the situation, asking hard, context-specific questions. By doing so, they achieve both short- and long-term benefits while positioning themselves for success in the global information economy.

This guide provides a solid grounding in concepts such as IP generation, IP valuation, portfolio management and the monetisation of IP assets, as well as practical guidance on setting an IP strategy and managing the risks associated with third-party intellectual property.

This Study is aimed at assisting governments in creating an environment in which Intellectual Property enables innovators and creators to lever the economic value of their work, at enhancing the economic success of the country to the benefit of its businesses, researchers, creators, and society as a whole and at strengthening economic competitiveness.

Intellectual property strategies to power your bottom line In the innovation economy, intellectual property is among the most valuable assets a business can have. IP strategy isn’t just incidental to success, it’s a key driver—research shows that IP-intensive small- and medium-sized enterprises are 60% more likely to achieve high growth. Myra Tawfik and Karima Bawa, two noted experts in the field of IP law and strategy, want to help you achieve greater success through the strategic deployment of your business’s IP. More than just patents, IP encompasses confidential information and trade secrets, industrial design, copyright, and trademarks. Understanding the unique IP portfolio of your business and how to leverage it for maximum benefit can pay huge dividends. A strong IP strategy can allow you to command higher prices for your goods and services, increase your market share, generate new revenue streams, improve brand recognition, attract new investment, and lower your costs. You can also avert threats from your competitors by using your IP both offensively and defensively to protect your market and drive up your competitors’ costs. Perfect for entrepreneurs, innovators, inventors, expert advisors and investors, this primer will sharpen your knowledge and help you make informed decisions about IP strategy to drive your business forward.

Medical device professionals encounter numerous challenges from successfully developing a medical device company to understanding and navigating the various intellectual property issues that arise as they seek to protect and commercialize their inventions. This is an essential resource for understanding the nuances of protecting and launching a medical device in the United States and abroad. Written by IP and patent attorneys with experience representing the unique business needs of startups, entrepreneurs, and early-stage companies, this guide covers creating and leveraging patent portfolios; freedom to operate; limiting risk of infringement; trademarks in the context of medical devices; strategies for licensing and monetizing patents; and more.

This book offers a comprehensive, easy to understand guide for startup entities and developing companies, providing insight on the various sources of funding that are available, how these funding sources are useful at each stage of a company’s development, and offers a comprehensive intellectual property strategy that parallels each stage of development. The IP strategies offered in this book take into consideration the goals that most startups and companies have at each stage of development, as well as the limitations that exist at each stage (i.e., limited available resources earmarked for intellectual property asset development), and provides solutions that startups and companies can implement to maximize their return on intellectual property investments. This book also includes a number of descriptive examples, case studies and scenarios to illustrate the topics discussed, and is intended for use by startups and companies across all industries. Readers will garner an appreciation for the value that intellectual property rights provide to a startup entity or company and will gain an understanding of the types of intellectual property rights that are available to companies and how to procure, utilize and monetize those intellectual property rights to help their company grow.

The definitive primer on intellectual property for business professionals, non-IP attorneys, entrepreneurs, and inventors Full of valuable tips, techniques, illustrative real-world examples, exhibits, and best practices, the Second Edition of this handy and concise paperback will help you stay up to date on the newest thinking, strategies, developments, and case law in intellectual property. Presents fundamentals of patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and other less-know forms of IP, such as registered design and mask works Covers important concepts such as IP strategy, protection, audits, valuation, management, and competitive intelligence Offers an introduction to IP licensing and enforcement Now features discussion of critical precedent-setting recent IP cases and proposed patent reform Providing business professionals and IP owners with in-depth knowledge of this extremely important subject, this book helps those new to this field gain a better understanding and appreciation for the results of their creative abilities.