Competitive Strategies For The Protection Of Intellectual Property

It is scarcely five years since the first edition of this book, a milestone in the strategy-oriented approach to intellectual property at the global level, appeared and was quickly and widely welcomed as virtually an intellectual property agenda for the 21st century. This second edition includes a judicious update of the original data and analysis in light of the significant movement forward that has taken place over the past few years in many of the critical areas that shape the competitive strategies in the use of IP Rights. The authors have lost none of their conviction of the necessity to enhance awareness of the techno-economic effects of intellectual property rights protection on enterprise competitiveness and national growth and development. The book provides a panoramic but detailed view of the worldand’s intellectual property system that embraces socioeconomic, cultural and technological development in its scope, clarifying the pitfalls and challenges that the system presents even as it promises to improve the quality of life on our planet. The authors both internationally respected and honoured for their work in elucidating the economic necessity of an intellectual property system that can inspire universal confidence, emphasize the imperative of international competiveness in knowledge-based technology. In their orderly presentation of the key issues that promote the real benefits (not yet achieved) of a truly effective regime of intellectual property rights they discuss such factors as the following: the use of intellectual property as an integral part of business strategy; optimal utilization of intellectual property assets; the incentives and rewards of and‘fair playand’ in the marketplace; facilitation of widespread diffusion and adoption of the fruits of creativity and innovation; the crucial role of small and medium enterprises; the need at every level for deliberate incentive policies that encourage creativity and invention; strict enforcement of intellectual property rights; creating linkages between intellectual property stakeholders; and use of patent information for forecasting technology trends. These issues and recommendations and more are all discussed in a framework that highlights each of the major areas of knowledge in which intellectual property rights are most insistently invoked today, such as the digital economy, e-commerce, Internet domain names, database protection, protection of plant varieties, design of integrated circuits, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. Ultimately, however, this outstanding workand’s most important contribution lies in its vision of the organic corporation of governments, institutions, supranational organizations, multinational corporations, small and medium enterprises, and civil society as they collectively fashion a 21st century in which creativity and innovation are enabled to convert knowledge into wealth and social good. For this reason, as well as for its richly detailed treatment of trends and current reality in the field, this new, updated edition of Intellectual Property and Competitive Strategies in the 21stCentury will continue to be read and put to good use by business people, international lawyers, government officials, and interested academics in all parts of the world.

As technological developments multiply around the globeâ€"even as the patenting of human genes comes under serious discussionâ€"nations, companies, and researchers find themselves in conflict over intellectual property rights (IPRs). Now, an international group of experts presents the first multidisciplinary look at IPRs in an age of explosive growth in science and technology. This thought-provoking volume offers an update on current international IPR negotiations and includes case studies on software, computer chips, optoelectronics, and biotechnologyâ€"areas characterized by high development cost and easy reproducibility. The volume covers these and other issues: Modern economic theory as a basis for approaching international IPRs. U.S. intellectual property practices versus those in Japan, India, the European Community, and the developing and newly industrializing countries. Trends in science and technology and how they affect IPRs. Pros and cons of a uniform international IPRs regime versus a system reflecting national differences.

Companies with a distinct competitive strategy are attractive targets for free riding of intellectual property (IP) as copying their products either provides high margins (differentiation) or opens large markets (cost leadership). However, a clever combination of a competitive strategy with a suitable IP strategy and management can protect a company from IP free riding. Our findings suggest that cost leaders should use legal protection methods and ensure the enforcement of these methods. Differentiators should keep their knowledge and technology secret so as to mitigate the imitation enabling effect of technical intellectual property rights (IPR). Trademarks and registered designs are effective tools for companies of both competitive strategies. Policy should improve the effectiveness of IPR regimes allowing easy and fast enforcement of patents.

How a flexible and creative approach to intellectual property can help an organization accomplish goals ranging from building market share to expanding an industry. Most managers leave intellectual property issues to the legal department, unaware that an organization's intellectual property can help accomplish a range of management goals, from accessing new markets to improving existing products to generating new revenue streams. In this book, intellectual property expert and Harvard Law School professor John Palfrey offers a short briefing on intellectual property strategy for corporate managers and nonprofit administrators. Palfrey argues for strategies that go beyond the traditional highly restrictive “sword and shield” approach, suggesting that flexibility and creativity are essential to a profitable long-term intellectual property strategy—especially in an era of changing attitudes about media. Intellectual property, writes Palfrey, should be considered a key strategic asset class. Almost every organization has an intellectual property portfolio of some value and therefore the need for an intellectual property strategy. A brand, for example, is an important form of intellectual property, as is any information managed and produced by an organization. Palfrey identifies the essential areas of intellectual property—patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret—and describes strategic approaches to each in a variety of organizational contexts, based on four basic steps. The most innovative organizations employ multiple intellectual property approaches, depending on the situation, asking hard, context-specific questions. By doing so, they achieve both short- and long-term benefits while positioning themselves for success in the global information economy.

This book offers a comprehensive, easy to understand guide for startup entities and developing companies, providing insight on the various sources of funding that are available, how these funding sources are useful at each stage of a company’s development, and offers a comprehensive intellectual property strategy that parallels each stage of development. The IP strategies offered in this book take into consideration the goals that most startups and companies have at each stage of development, as well as the limitations that exist at each stage (i.e., limited available resources earmarked for intellectual property asset development), and provides solutions that startups and companies can implement to maximize their return on intellectual property investments. This book also includes a number of descriptive examples, case studies and scenarios to illustrate the topics discussed, and is intended for use by startups and companies across all industries. Readers will garner an appreciation for the value that intellectual property rights provide to a startup entity or company and will gain an understanding of the types of intellectual property rights that are available to companies and how to procure, utilize and monetize those intellectual property rights to help their company grow.

Strategic Management (2020) is a 325-page open educational resource designed as an introduction to the key topics and themes of strategic management. The open textbook is intended for a senior capstone course in an undergraduate business program and suitable for a wide range of undergraduate business students including those majoring in marketing, management, business administration, accounting, finance, real estate, business information technology, and hospitality and tourism. The text presents examples of familiar companies and personalities to illustrate the different strategies used by today's firms and how they go about implementing those strategies. It includes case studies, end of section key takeaways, exercises, and links to external videos, and an end-of-book glossary. The text is ideal for courses which focus on how organizations operate at the strategic level to be successful. Students will learn how to conduct case analyses, measure organizational performance, and conduct external and internal analyses.

It is important to say that innovation influences the market and its operators, especially about competition conditions. One of the most significant technological advances relates to the possibility of capturing a huge amount of information and the rapid processing thereof (two of the main features that make up the phenomenon known as big data). This not only entails the emergence of specialised operators in these activities, but also makes a “data economy” possible. In this regard, it expands the profitability of business models based on data and gives more strategic value to the collection thereof. The increased possibilities of obtaining revenue from the information lends greater efficiency to the strategy of setting a price of zero in one of the markets on which platform-type (two-sided) business models depend. However, the market in which an operator offers its service at zero cost is not free from possible competition problems in parameters other than price (significantly, quality: whether understood as adequately classified information or the level of privacy offered to users). Therefore, the competition authorities must necessarily abandon a price-centric perspective and enter into an assessment of other parameters already foreseen in the Competition Act. Some of the most recent and significant changes that technology has stimulated in the economy have included the appearance of multiple operators that base their business model on the processing of information and can access it thanks to (i) increased digitisation (conversion of physical assets into information), which has enabled digital interactions (unlike physical interactions, they leave a record – information), and (ii) a large volume of information (Internet and sensors). These changes have not only allowed the proliferation of business models based on information processing but rather, in particular, they can be found in those operators that have achieved the most significant success recently (from Google to Facebook, WhatsApp or LinkedIn, through to Uber and Airbnb). From the industrial revolution and until well into the twentieth century, the most important competitive advantage of economic operators was based on their ability to produce and distribute goods or physical products. However, in recent decades, a particular phenomenon has emerged of the transformation of physical goods (atoms) into information (bits). In other words, the physical format is becoming less relevant while the importance of data continues to grow. A trend which, far from disappearing, it seems will become ever more entrenched, with the eventual widespread use of 3D printers. Thus, the most important competitive advantage appears to have moved from production and distribution to information (data) and its management. Multiple economic operators, aware of the growing importance of data, have invested in aspects related to it, particularly in its collection and processing. This has led to the phenomenon known as big data, characterised by the “4 Vs”: volume, variety, velocity (of processing) and veracity. In any case, without addressing at this time privacy considerations, data collection requires an investment meaning that any operator that has such data enjoys a competitive advantage. These large data sets are becoming a core asset in the economy, fostering new industries, processes and products and creating significant competitive advantages.

Examining the relationship between intellectual property and competition law with a particular focus on European law, this book highlights areas emerging new frontiers.