Is your company having trouble determining an IP strategy for a particular product or technology development team, or for a particularly inventive but idiosyncratic individual or team? Is your team facing a seemingly intractable problem, whether IP specific or IP adjacent? Do you have competitors who seem to be doing a surprisingly good job with their product and/or IP strategy? Or could you use someone to bounce ideas off, to help you balance IP-specific issues and strategies with business goals and practical constraints, if only to get your own creative and analytical skills back into high gear? All of these situations can be significantly improved by turning to a very experienced IP attorney, who becomes, in effect, your IP Force Multiplier℠.
Strengthen Your IP Strategy
A strong IP strategy is the backbone of long-term competitive advantage. It aligns your patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret priorities with your business objectives, product roadmap, and market timing. Your IP strategy is not complete unless you have considered how to capture core innovations before competitors do, how to protect your brand as it scales into new markets, and how to safeguard proprietary know-how inside the company. I work with existing teams to strengthen your IP strategy and provide practical guidance on implementation of that strategy.
Overcome a Specific IP Problem
Every company eventually encounters IP challenges that require targeted, experienced guidance. Problems such as a competitor’s patent that appears to block your product launch, or a former contractor claiming authorship or ownership of key assets, can cause costly delays or forced redesigns. Or perhaps you are concerned about potentially inadequate documentation for early-stage inventions, which can weaken your position during diligence or litigation. A highly experienced IP lawyer can help you address such problems head on, helping you think through the various options and proactively resolving issues before they escalate.
Counteract a Competitive Move
When a major competitor suddenly launches a new product, or sues a competitor using IP assets that might cause your company problems as well, or aggressively challenges your products or marketing or IP strategy in an attempt to slow your expansion, the stakes rise quickly. Or perhaps a fast-moving startup has launched overlapping features and is signaling a willingness to push boundaries. In these moments, it is critical for management teams to understand the full suite of legal tools available—offensive and defensive—and to determine what steps will position the company most advantageously.
Brainstorm Strategically
Effective IP brainstorming blends legal expertise with technical understanding and business insight, ensuring that ideas are not only creative but also actionable and aligned with your company’s goals. Your experienced IP attorney surfaces opportunities, tests assumptions, and identifies avenues for protection and value creation.
Bringing in a seasoned IP attorney as fractional in-house IP counsel can help you with all of the above: strengthen your IP strategy, overcome specific IP problems, counteract moves by competitors, and brainstorm strategically. Companies now have the opportunity to strengthen their IP position with the help of an IP Force Multiplier℠. I have been fortunate enough to have worked with some of the largest and most successful tech giants over the last few decades and have addressed a myriad of IP and patent problems. Resolving those problems has helped those companies remove tricky growth obstacles and has spurred their growth momentum.