Technology Law Insights by Ray Millien

I. Introduction Personnel charged with managing an enterprise’s intellectual property (IP) are increasingly being asked to show some return for the often multimillion dollar expenditures on applications, registrations and attorneys’ fees. Such returns are only possible by undertaking some form of IP monetization efforts. Like most corporate efforts, however, there first must be a strategy in place. Yet, how can enterprises set an IP monetization strategy without first understanding the IP landscape in the relevant industry? More specifically, enterprises must be able to answer the following questions before even setting a strategy and embarking on any IP monetization efforts: Who are our potential licensees? Who are our potential enforcement targets? What are our best IP assets? Where do we start? What are best practices in the industry? What are the risks? What are the potential rewards? The process of answering these questions in order to form and execute upon IP ...