The year is just getting going again.  It’s a nice time to reflect on what you’re doing and where you’re heading.

So, how’s your intellectual property strategy going? 

Here are 3 things to think about:

1.  Why should I / we care about intellectual property.  (If you can’t think of a reason, stop now, unsubscribe, and thanks for your time.)

2.  What does 2009 hold for me, us and the world around us?  (Economic woes? / Threats? / Opportunities? / Other?)

3.  What do I want other people to be able to say about me and us by the end of the year?  (Ie – what would a skeptical, objective bystander be able to say about me / us at the end of the year – this is designed to provoke action and objective achievements.)  Here are some examples:

• We kicked butt in that patent litigation.
• We reduced the incidence of counterfeiting of our goods by 50%.
• We substantially reinforced the intellectual property estate covering our brands.
• We attracted significant investment with the portfolio we already had at the start of the year.
• We redirected our R&D program to much more valuable intellectual property outcomes and significantly increased the value of our company
• What would you add?

Now go and do it.  Just get it started.

It’s the only way.

Photo credit: Fr Antunes