Intellectual Property Strategy

The MIT Press Essential Knowledge

by John Palfrey

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.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Law, Technology

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 9, 2011

About the author

John Palfrey is President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Before that, he was Head of the Phillips Andover Academy and a Professor at Havard Law School. He is coauthor of Born Digital: How Children Grow Up in a Digital Age, and author of the MIT Press Essential Knowledge volume Intellectual Property Strategy.

See also: John Gorham Palfrey

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lots of words to not say anything

Lacks any real content. Only provides high level thoughts without and practical insight or suggestions. Just review the table of contents. The rest of the book provides no further depth.

[Andy Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author presents a cohesive and rational discussion of the state of Intellectual Property Strategy. He focuses on facts and only states his own opinion on the last few pages. It is an important read for anyone wanting to learn more or implement strategy for themselves or their business.

[Norman Matos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting account of how intellectual property can create revenue.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read on ways to think about IP assets you own/need to use and how to go about them legally.

[Joe Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting!

[Abdullah Shams]

A great birds eye view of Intellectual property, gives a nice perspective on orientating oneself is the world of IP.

Important Key words:
1. Copyrights
2. Patent
3. Trademark
4. Trade secret

[Oren Mizrahi · Rating 3 out of 5]

very concise but generic advice. i would have liked more historical examples.

[Liam · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Put another way, these investments [in IP] ensure, first and foremost, that your organization has freedom of action later." (30)

"[I]ntellectual property often gains in value the more that other people use it." (39)

"The idea behind open innovation is as simple as it is powerful: the creators of new ideas don't have to be within your organization in order to be helpful." (66)

"[S]tart with the premise that intellectual property is most valuable insofar as it creates freedom of action for your organization rather than as an offensive weapon against others." (77)

"Sharing can be good for a brand." (82)

"Many universities, libraries, museums, foundations, and public media organizations presented with these types of choices are deciding to share the information broadly online, rather than keeping information close at hand to generate a competitive advantage. If the default in the for-profit world is to generate maximum revenues from the licensing of intellectual property, the default in the non-profit setting is probably to make intellectual property as broadly available as possible. This general inclination toward openness on the part of knowledge-disseminating nonprofits versus maintaining proprietary control is a good thing for society at large." (120-1)

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, sweet, and occasionally vague; just what you'd expect from these 100-page types of books. It has no obvious weaknesses, and no strength to match its brevity. Noteworthy for covering strategy for non-profits (including universities and museums) and also pointing out the benefits of more open/cooperative policy in some cases--without being naive. Recommended.

[Francisco Moreno · Rating 2 out of 5]

Algunas cuestiones interesantes, pero nada que no supiera realmente ya. Esperaba algo más.

Una buena introducción al tema para directivos.

El autor defiende un mayor uso de la innovación abierta (está en contra de un uso agresivo de la PI como única estrategia de la organización).

[John Palfrey]

I wrote it so will not rate!