Businesses invest substantial resources in planning. Whether such planning is the development of an initial business plan for a startup organization or a scope of work for the next big project in a mature business, planning is key to success. However, when it comes to intellectual property (IP) and its protection within an organization, there may not be a developed plan or perhaps there is no plan at all. Often, businesses will seek an IP advisor only once when an urgent IP matter arises to threaten progress.
For example, a startup organization may have spent months or years developing a specific technology in secret and is only seeking advice once it is poised to enter the marketplace. By this time, public disclosures may have been made in marketing pitches or trade shows which could limit the patentability options for protecting key technologies. Perhaps “handshake” unwritten contracts may have been established which may have made business sense at the time but which could work against your exclusive rights going forward.
Urgent IP matters such as these create “tunnel-vision”. The IP needs of the business are focused on a single urgent matter and in dealing with this urgent matter, other potentially important IP protection opportunities may be overlooked. Such “tunnel-vision” makes it difficult to make full use of the available forms of IP which can be deployed to strengthen the position of your business in the overall IP landscape. Moreover, due to the urgency of the matter faced by your business, you may rush through the screening process when selecting your IP advisor and may end up with something less than a “best fit” relationship.
As these or countless other examples may illustrate, it is never too early to seek an IP advisor and start developing a strategy for integrating IP and its protection within your organization. The skilled and qualified agents at Craig Wilson and Company are prepared to provide you with the tools you need to recognize and seize lucrative IP protection opportunities within your organization.
At Craig Wilson and Company we specialize in providing virtual in-house consulting services for your IP protection needs. We integrate with startups and mature businesses to develop the tools they need to build their awareness of IP and to develop their own IP strategies that are in step with their long-term business goals. By allowing us to establish a partnership with your business, we can help you systemize your approach to managing your intellectual property and provide you with the expertise and foresight to circumvent many of the pitfalls that can compromise the protection of your intellectual property.