Business Strategies for Multinational Intellectual Property Protection

Abstract

Intellectual property protection and management (IPPM) are important operational and strategic issues especially for global companies. Most prior discussions of this topic focus heavily on the legal aspects of this topic. However, by the time legal action becomes necessary, the stakes and costs have risen to too high a level for all parties. This paper argues that the non-legal aspects of IPPM are perhaps more important in practice and can be designed to forestall or limit more expensive legal action. This paper provides some guidelines and practical advice for companies that would like to improve their IPPM processes.

Keywords: Intellectual Property, Technology Strategy, R&D, Counterfeiting