IP portfolio management

Technical intellectual property (IP) management system

In order to effectively implement a system for the control and management of technical IP, such as patents, designs and confidential information, a number of activities could be adopted, including:

  • an audit of existing technical IP
  • implementation of an IP education program
  • development of IP policies and procedures
  • merging of IP capture toll gates to existing product development processes
  • establishment of an IP register, appointment of an IP manager
  • development of an IP capture, protection and enforcement budget.

As an adjunct to the IP management service, or as a stand-alone service, your portfolio can be recorded on a secure web page, allowing you to access it anytime, anywhere.

Audit

We can conduct a detailed analysis of your IP and based on this research, can prepare an audit report that includes an inventory of your existing IP assets, a plan of action for correcting deficiencies and reducing the risk of infringement, and recommendations on implementation and training for key personnel.

We have experience in auditing IP for a wide range of organisations. As part of the auditing process, we have in the past conducted the following analyses:

  • Reviewed contracts with employees, consultants, vendors and customers to determine whether such contracts adequately protect and perfect the company’s IP rights, including non-compete agreements, technology licensing agreements and other third-party contracts.
  • Interviewed key managers and technical personal to identify existing IP held by the company, including know-how, trade secrets, copyright, patentable subject matter, designs and trade marks.
  • Identified any potentially prejudicial disclosures made by the company relevant to the IP and assessed the impact of such disclosures on existing or future IP.
  • Interviewed key managers and technical staff to identify possible areas for future development of the company’s IP.
  • Researched and analysed the organisation’s activities to identify areas of possible risk for infringement of third party rights.
  • Interviewed appropriate staff and assessed company policies and procedures regarding identifying, tracking and safeguarding the company’s IP.
  • Researched and analysed the organisation’s need to identify IP rights of other parties. This includes a review of any licence agreements in place.
  • Interviewed key managers and technical personnel to measure awareness of IP issues by relevant staff and compliance with organisational policies.
  • Researched and analysed the company’s trade marks, trade dress, and service marks to determine whether it has established adequate protection, and if applicable, whether it has preserved the trade mark rights of others as part of any joint ventures and co-branding arrangements.

Education

In order to raise the awareness of research team leaders and their staff, we can run a number of seminars or workshops tailored to your organisation’s specific needs. The aim of these sessions will be to create an awareness of technical IP and to enable the identification of protectable technical IP by management and research staff. Seminars can be one or two hours long, while workshops can extend to half or full days and can be highly interactive.

Policies and procedures

Policies and procedures can be developed so that the identification, capture and protection of relevant technical IP is handled correctly to maximise protection. For example, invention disclosure forms can be designed and procedures established to define to whom the information disclosure form should be sent, who is authorised to make decisions about the protection of that IP, whether the inventors are entitled to remuneration and the like.