Eye On Intellectual Property In Uncertain Times

If you are thinking of selling your house, before putting up the "for sale sign" you might chat with your neighbours - exercising appropriate social distancing. You might dig through your files to have a look at your deeds, surveys and documentation. And if you are sheltering in place during a pandemic, whether or not you plan to sell, with time on your hands you might spruce things up a bit, to plan ahead. This is equally true for real (tangible) and intellectual (intangible) property rights.

In times of a pandemic, unbundling intellectual property rights from tangible property can unlock hidden value. Intellectual property cannot be seen. But rights can arise automatically. The rights can be registered, conveyed and licensed, described in a schedule of rights attachable to a purchase and sale agreement.