What is Innovation Protection?
Innovation gives competitive advantage. However, that advantage will be short lived if it cannot be protected from imitation by competitors. Innovation Protection helps to reduce the risk of imitation, thereby helping you to reap maximum commercial reward from your innovation investment.
Also known as Intellectual Asset Management (IAM), good Innovation Protection is a structured process that identifies all sources of competitive advantage, establishes the contribution of each source to the business model and puts appropriate protection measures in place. Of these measures, perhaps the best known are legal Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) to protect technical inventions, aesthetic designs, software, semiconductor topographies and trade marks.
Innovation Protection is not just about defending your innovation against imitation. Just as important is the “Freedom to Operate”, namely the ability to do business without being blocked by competitors’ IPRs. IPRs can also enable additional business opportunities that allow the full value to be extracted from your innovation. Good Innovation Protection covers all these bases in a thorough yet cost-efficient manner.
How can your organisation benefit?
Innovation Protection is an essential element of any business model based on innovation. Without freedom to operate, your business may be shut down by your competitors. Without defence, the benefit from your innovation may be short lived. Failing to extract maximum value from your innovation may lead to financial failure. 
Structured Innovation Protection allows you to address these risks and opportunities in a cost-efficient manner. The resulting Intellectual Asset (IA) portfolio can be visualised using the Asivu™ IA portfolio modelling system, allowing portfolio value to be demonstrated to investors and helping them to understand how their investment is being maintained. Senior management can similarly see the strengths and weaknesses of the business’ IA position, allowing them to play to the business’ strengths and follow up new opportunities for realising value.
Our Expertise
Our specialist in Innovation Protection is Dr. Ian Hartwell. Ian is a consulting European Patent Attorney with Maguire Boss, Cambridge, and a visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for IP Policy and Management at Bournemouth Business School. He has a PhD in IP management from the School of Engineering, Cranfield University. A Chartered Engineer, Ian worked in the aero industry before joining the automotive directorate of the European Patent Office. He subsequently served as in-house IP Manager for piezo inkjet manufacturer Xaar plc and the inventors of light emitting polymers, Cambridge Display Technology.
