In a recent
article, we outlined the role of IP in the innovation process.
In particular, we noted that the innovation process can be
conveniently described as having 4 main stages, namely:
- conception of innovative ideas,
- the research and development (R&D)
stage,
- commercialisation of products or services,
and
- the marketing of those products or
services
The process may also include iterative aspects and is often
cyclical in order to continually produce new product and service
offerings to the market (the so-called "cycle of
innovation").
We noted that the involvement of an IP professional is critical
at each stage of the innovation process, for example to provide
advice on: legal (confidentiality) agreements, prior art searching
and analysis (patentability, freedom to operate, competitor and
landscape mapping), trade mark and design registrations, patent
strategy (including advice on when a trade secret vs patent
protection is appropriate), and
