• Intellectual property plays a key role in the LED industry

    The identification, management and protection of valuable intellectual property - potentially with the involvement of licensing programs - is a crucially important activity, explains Paul Kallmes.
    Oct. 15, 2007
    2 min read
    677eb9de7d3980ef3b3c1df5 Content Dam Leds En Articles Print Volume 4 Issue
    It almost goes without saying nowadays that the management of intangible assets (and their codified forms, intellectual property (IP)) has become an essential strategic consideration in virtually every industry. Whether you manufacture heavy machinery, write code, or star in your own movies, you have an obligation to protect the value of your products and business.
    Modern IP management techniques provide a powerful set of tools and practices to grow and protect these critical assets. While intangible assets can be embodied in many forms - patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and so on - this discussion will focus on the most commonly considered form of IP, patents. However, the astute IP manager will do a thorough inventory to identify all sources of potentially valuable IP in his own sphere, and protect them accordingly. Intangible assets are strategic assets, and must be treated as such.

    The last few years have seen modern management practices being developed for, and applied to, intellectual property. Portfolio management has grown from hodge-podge internal collections of electronic documents and spreadsheets into dedicated software platforms. Search capabilities have grown substantially. Valuation methodologies of various stripes (and reliability) have proliferated for transactions such as M&A.

    Last but certainly not least, the investment community has recently taken a strong interest in IP as a source of potential value, whether through portfolio creation, consolidation, licensing, or assertion. There has been much attention placed on so-called "patent trolls" (see footnote): while that is a topic for another time, it is worth noting that indiscriminate use of that label can hinder legitimate IP management, and should be used sparingly.

    +++++++

    This article was published in the September/October 2007 issue of LEDs Magazine.

    To read the full version of this article, please visit our Magazine page, where you can download FREE electronic PDF versions of all issues of LEDs Magazine.

    You can also request a print copy of LEDs Magazine (available by paid subscription) and sign up for our free weekly email newsletter.

    Voice your opinion!

    To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Buildings, create an account today!

    Sponsored Recommendations

    Sign up for our Newsletter
    Get the latest news and updates.

    Latest from Home

    First of its Kind Collaborative Embodied Carbon Measurement Project
    Learn how leading firms are collaborating to develop an innovative carbon assessment tool for the buildings industry.
    May 13, 2025
    Courtesy of Kuosumo | Dreamstime
    U.S Capitol building with lawn in foreground and clear, blue sky in background.
    Association is championing the business case for energy efficiency as Trump Administration considers cuts to U.S. EPA program.
    May 13, 2025

    Sponsored