Drive Your Company's IP Strategy

Startups and small-to-medium-sized enterprises typically launch and grow their intellectual property rights organically. As with organic food, these rights end up being more expensive. Unfortunately, unlike food, organically grown IP rights likely won't be sustainable or better for the company's bottom line.

When created outside a strategic plan, IP rights are more likely to have lives of their own, draining the company's time and financial resources. They are also likely to be poorly designed and frustrate rather than advance the company's business interests. To avoid this, drive your IP strategy, don't let it drive you.

IP as a Roadblock

IP is a government granted right to exclude others from using your inventions, brands and works of authorship. If your competitors can find an inexpensive way to get the same utility from a different product or method, or a valuable way to benefit from your branding efforts, spending $15k or more to file a patent designed