Here are the top 5 intellectual property audit mistakes I have seen lately:
- Getting the wrong people to do it – usually external attorneys with little practical, commercial experience of what is required. (ideally it should be conducted in-house, with some help as needed by people who have done a lot of them, in a practical way.)
- Focussing on the wrong issues – its so much more than a register of patents and trade marks plus your invention disclosure procedure.
- No buy-in. The entire organisation should be involved and be energised and motivated to contribute. (Marketing and sales are in fact great places to investigate IP practices.)
- Too much focus on protecting new IP and too little on exploiting or killing what you have.
- No overall strategy for change in light of the results, and worse still, poor or no implementation / execution. (ie – the most important part is poorly done, if at all.)