Profit or Pain? Depends on how you handle IP!

Intellectual Property (IP) drives most successful businesses. Companies that leverage IP stay competitive and profitable. Companies that don't, experience painful consequences.

This book explains, in clear, simple language, how successful companies:

Motivate and inspire creativity in individuals and teams; Protect IP with practical legal strategies and business practices; Avoid painful mistakes; and Integrate legal and business strategies to create profitable businesses.

It also debunks the myth that lawyers take care of IP matters. While a business-focused IP lawyer will play an important role, you'll want to make smart choices about how to proceed. After reading this book, you will recognize IP opportunities and know how to connect the dots between legal strategies and business practices to achieve COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE and PROFITABILITY.

Enhance your skills. This easy-to-read book, packed with true stores of success and failure, will make you Smart, Fast about IP.

Part 1

IP Basics -
What business people need to know about Intellectual Property

IP issues pop up in many business situations. How you respond can profitably protect, or painfully diminish your rights. After reading Part 1, you will be able to recognize IP situations and know how to avoid legal pitfalls. True stories of success and failure (for example: Hotmail, Exxon Mobil, Tony the Tiger) reinforce the practical dos and don'ts. The IP Matrix provides a framework and handy reference guide for visualizing the range of IP protections and "how to" tips.

Part 2

IP Legal -
Legal Strategies to Protect Intellectual Property

Taking advantage of legal protections is a good first step in leveraging your invention or creative work into a profitable business. For IP, an ounce of legal prevention is truly worth thousands of dollars of cure. Part 2 provides practical tips to implement legal protections for Trade Secrets,
Trade/Service Marks, Trade Dress, Copyrights, and Patents. True stories of who won and who lost in IP disputes (for example: Prozac, Federal Express, Spam) confirm emerging strategies for protecting IP in an era of rampant knock-offs.


Part 3

IP Business Practices -
Practical Systems and Procedures to Protect Intellectual Property

Intellectual Property is "intangible" - you can't see it or touch it so how do you protect it? Learn practical tips for safeguarding confidential information. Prevent problems by using standard procedures and agreements with employees and contractors concerning confidentiality, non-disclosure, work for hire, assignment of inventions and copyrights. True stories illustrate how good business practices (systems and procedures), combined with legal protections (for example: Jordan's Furniture, Dell, 3M) produce superior business results.

Part 4

IP - Leverage
Strategies for Making Money from Your Ideas

To maximize the revenue from a creative idea, a multi-pronged strategy is needed. For example, Viacom used a broad based strategy to protect its hit character, SpongeBob SquarePants, including: copyright protection for the script of the show; and registering the trademark in multiple categories to cover a broad spectrum of potential spin off products. Once the IP is protected, licensing and franchising strategies (for example: Snugli, Curves) are ways to leverage the IP and maximize profits.