Outpacing the Competition : Patent-Based Business Strategy

In the field of patents, there are still innumerable treasures that have not been unearthed; they are hidden in the patent files of a company, or more likely, in the minds of brilliant researchers waiting for the right connection of ideas and support. Taking the mystery out of patent strategy for business management, Outpacing the Competition explores the business dynamics behind creating, acquiring, advancing, and defending patentable assets. Revealing the dynamics central to winning the competition for ideas and relationships through which companies derive successful products, this innovative book puts patentable assets, the core value of technology companies, at the center of a broader business strategy discussion. Combining business strategy with legal and classical strategy, Outpacing the Competition makes it clear how professionals can and should integrate patents into all aspects of business strategy in order for an organization to achieve its full financial potential, with discussion of: Emergent treasures: the creation and acquisition of valuable inventions from bright people Ways to organize and use non obvious advantages from the point of view of patent strategy The ongoing decision cycle of assessment, decision, and action The race of decision cycles in determining business tempo Patents as a key driver of business growth for companies The proven strategy models that illustrate how patents work Filled with case studies and real world anecdotes, this strategic guide equips professionals with tools to cultivate, grow, and guard their patents, and breaks down three key learning points about patent strategy: understanding what patent strategy is, winning the race of decision cycles, and mastering the interplay of interaction and isolation that occurs between companies through patent transactions and enforcement. Patents provide a brief window of opportunity for companies to enforce the exclusivity of their inventions before competitors are able to imitate their ideas. As the most quantifiable of intellectual property assets, patents are the cornerstone of a new type of business strategy that, while practiced, has not been adequately described. Until now. Required reading for business professionals and attorneys, Outpacing the Competition delivers much needed guidance in developing business strategy that leverages the competitive advantages afforded by patents.