IP Co-Parenting - Handle With Care

Collaborations often drive innovation when complementary forces work in harmony, like Yin and Yang. The situation may, however, turn tricky when the taijitu (the yin-yang circle) becomes commercially valuable. Such is the case of intellectual property assets which have been created by more than one mind or created in collaboration. Joint ownership of intellectual property ("IP"), be it patent, trade mark, copyright or designs or any other form of IP, is an arrangement of shared ownership and control, primarily opted when multiple stakeholders contribute to the development of the property created. Such an arrangement of sharing intellectual property rights may be entered into even when either of the parties entering joint ownership are not the authors/inventors/creators.