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Your Inno-IP magazine September 2010
Licensing assets.
Building a Enforcing assets for exacting royalties and
damages.
Smart IP Portfolio Deterring competitors from enforcing their
patents against you.
– A New Mantra in Knowledge Economy Adding a negotiating tool to your tool box.
After the global slowdown the new economy of Appropriate IP management is specific to a
think-tank is about “Excel or Expire”. Globally in the company’s corporate culture and business
last five years Patent Offices have become busier objectives. Approaches to management can fall
day by day as the number of patent filings is anywhere on a broad spectrum ranging from
significantly increasing beyond their capacity. This “defensive” to “aggressive,” depending on what the
trend has not been affected even during the company wants to accomplish.
slowdown. The courts are moving towards the pro-
IP, as its legislation. The awards for damages are Creating Wealth and Not Risk From IP Assets
growing in multifold, which were a rare scene in the
A “defensive” IP management model would lead a
business world of earlier days and this is quickly
company to focus on generating a worldwide patent
spearheaded in developing countries too. So
portfolio for the primary purpose of protecting
corporations are required to act quickly and align
royalty payments or taxes paid by foreign
their business processes to this Knowledge
subsidiaries for rights to the parent’s technology. A
economy.
company following a “defensive” IP management
Managing Intellectual property portfolio smartly is so model might also be generating an extensive patent
critical that corporations are assessing their portfolio to impress investors. For startups, this
Intellectual Property (“IP”) management programs could be critical to raising venture capital money.
to ensure that they are deriving maximum value Public companies frequently tout their extensive
from this important asset. There are a number of patent portfolios to substantiate their commitment to
ways in which value can be derived from intellectual technology in hopes of boosting or maintaining the
property, including: value of their stock.
Protecting important commercial products On the other end of the spectrum, companies
and processes. following an “aggressive” IP management model
might license out their IP rights and technology.
Blocking competitors from entering the Some companies “mine” their existing portfolios—
market. that is, they look for unused or less important
existing IP assets (such assets that don’t support a
Lead time for developing, manufacturing and company’s businesses) to offer for licensing to
selling products. others.
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