Guidance in IP management

IPR is an area offering a great potential, but it is also a complex one. We have therefore selected some useful tools that can help your company exploit knowledge and IPR strategically. This will provide you with a starting point, and should you require further help, we recommend engaging a professional IPR consultant.

See tools

Step 1

CREATE OVERVIEW

Begin by creating an overview of the company’s rights and unprotected knowledge and assess its importance for the company. Also consider, how IPR is managed: Who decides on what to protect, and is responsibility for following up and ensuring that rights are enforced clearly allocated?

Step 2

SET GOALS

You are now aware of the IPR situation and able to assess how it fits with the business. Have you chosen the appropriate types of rights? Is the most important knowledge also thoroughly protected? Is there a risk of infringing the rights of others? Establish IPR goals so you take action where it generates the most value for your company.

Step 3

ASSIGN RESPONSIBILITY

Once you have set the goals for the IPR effort, it is time to decide how to achieve them. In which departments and processes is the knowledge that is to be protected generated? Who is to be responsible for what in relation to IPR? Map out how you will deal with future IPR issues so that you achieve your goals.

Step 4

EXECUTE

Once IPR responsibility has been assigned and the processes agreed, it may be advisable to adjust the remaining processes in the company. For example, is there a need to incorporate IPR training or information into your competency development plan? Should the brand guide be updated to explain how your trademarks are to be used? Have you discovered new business opportunities in the process?

Overview of knowledge and rights

What constitutes the most important knowledge in the company? Is it the knowledge that is best protected, and is it protected in those countries where the products are produced and sold? This is the first important step when systematising your IPR effort and an exercise that is useful to repeat as the company changes.

Read about how to create overview

Use the brand correctly

Ensure that employees, distributors and others use the company brand correctly, e.g. by outlining correct use in the brand or design guide, by requiring distributors to comply with your guidelines when entering into agreements and by taking follow-up action when competitors act to close to the mark.

See examples here

Integrate IPR in development processes

Does your company have development processes that result in new technology or new designs? If so, it is essential to clarify a range of IPR issues at different stages – both to protect your investment and to ensure that you do not develop something that a third party has the rights to.

View the product development model here

Searches in IP databases

When you register a right, third parties can carry out a search for it. You can use this to your advantage so that you do not develop something others have the right to, but instead accelerate your processes by entering into a licence agreement.

Learn about different search options

Benefit from the knowledge of others

Is there an opportunity to generate revenue from selling unexploited rights? Or take a shortcut using well-known technologies and brands? Licence agreements offer a range of possibilities when you own your knowledge and are familiar with that of others.

See examples and standard contracts here

What is your knowledge worth?

Is it important to prevent others from exploiting the knowledge of the company – or are they allowed to at the right price? In many cases, it may be relevant to assess the value of your own rights and the rights of others – also before investing in protecting an invention, for example.

See how knowledge and IPR can be valuated

Prioritise your effort

Use resources in the best possible way and minimise the risk of infringing third-party rights which will affect both reputation and finances. You can do this by prioritising potential IPR challenges. What is the likelihood, for example, of your products being copied or of you infringing third-party rights – and how severe are the consequences should this occur?

Download your risk analysis forms here

Any questions about the tools?

The Danish Patent and Trademark Office’s customer service department can offer guidance on how to use the tools and refer to further information on rights pertaining to inventions, brands, logos and designs.

You can also contact one of the consultants involved in developing the tools:

Consultants

+45 4350 8301
Mon-Thurs: 9 am-4pm, Fri: 9 am -3pm