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There is no doubt that CEOs are gaining a greater perspective on IP. There is also no doubt that the key question a CEO will want to know about IP is whether his enterprise has a patent or trademark to defend anything considered important at the moment. If his attorneys say yes, then that may be all he wants to know – trusting that the people employed to handle IP matters will… Read More
When do you know to stop an endeavor? History is replete with stories of individuals and nations in politics and war who fought on long after any hope for victory, as they saw it, ended. Such can happen commercially as well. We ask for a little more time, seek a little more investment, on a direction that no longer makes sense. Sometimes, despite the best efforts and strong IP, a present direction… Read More
Immediate priorities do more than rob business leaders from the opportunity to think strategically, they also rob the best time. Strategic thinking requires a clear mind. Fatigue diminishes critical thinking skills. This means that even if an IP strategist can clear his immediate priorities by day’s end, when he does have an opportunity to do strategic thinking, he may not be in the best mindset to succeed. The only way to address… Read More
As my son Max’s Principal joked before yesterday’s school musical, when you throw a boomerang and it doesn’t come back it’s just a stick. It seems that way with blogging sometimes too. You throw a blog out there into cyberspace with, what you think is, an important message or insight, and then wait for the comments to fly back at you. But they don’t come. Rather than an engaging discussion, it can… Read More
The Summer Olympics are in just a few months, and center-stage are those athletes from around the World who have dedicated the last four years to achieving their personal goal. Top athletes need a supporting team with the relevant knowledge and experience to help their charges achieve their maximum potential. Selection will be based on a combination of attributes, including personal rapport, significant practical experience in the field, a record of success,… Read More
You cannot expect anyone to sell against their own vested interests with enthusiasm. Any person who makes a living solving problems has a vested interest in the continued existence of those problems. Doctors and disease, police and criminals, lawyers and lawsuits, among others, intertwine in complex relationships where to obviate a problem can also mean to destroy a livelihood. This means that problem solvers with a vested interest in solving problems the… Read More
We, at Think IP Strategy, strongly believe that a key advantage we have over some of the other IP Strategy firms is the diversity of the people in our team. We have a very experienced team located around the world, some with general business backgrounds and others originally trained in the law with a focus on IP. We have folks from law firms, others from IP data management groups, and a few,… Read More
Some years ago I was discussing the structural features required in a new IP management system we were considering purchasing with my IT manager. We were looking at different interactive modules for docketing, products, agreements etc. After agreeing on the “must haves” and the “nice to haves”, my IT expert made the astute comment that, whatever system we select it will only be as good as the accuracy of the data entered:… Read More
In my IP strategy courses, I describe ten angles of competition, the sixth of which I define as a potential customer providing a solution to a need himself. For example, a house painter competes with more than other house painters when he proposes to paint a house. He also competes with the capacity and willingness of a home owner to just pick up his own brush and paint that house. External IP… Read More
In my experience, I have seen companies suffer loss or become embroiled in disputes because they followed improper advice from their external counsel. Some companies rely on advice from external counsel in nearly all aspects of management such as employment, tax and contracts, and of course IP prosecution, litigation, and transactions. However, no one can be sure that the advice of any expert is always right, especially if he or she lacks… Read More
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