Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Prologue
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Bringing your technology to market
- 2 So do you really have something of value?
- 3 The first steps towards commercialisation of your technology
- 4 The difficult problem of valuation of intellectual property
- 5 Developing your ideas
- 6 The licensing option
- 7 Forming your own company
- 8 Financing the business start up
- 9 Make your technology a commercial success
- 10 Conclusion
- Appendices
- Index
2 - So do you really have something of value?
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 November 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Prologue
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Bringing your technology to market
- 2 So do you really have something of value?
- 3 The first steps towards commercialisation of your technology
- 4 The difficult problem of valuation of intellectual property
- 5 Developing your ideas
- 6 The licensing option
- 7 Forming your own company
- 8 Financing the business start up
- 9 Make your technology a commercial success
- 10 Conclusion
- Appendices
- Index
Summary
Protection is not a principle, but an expedient.
Benjamin Disraeli. In a speech made on 17 March 1845The concept of intellectual property
Before proceeding to take your technology to the market place, you should first consider its protection. There is no point spending effort and time in entering a market when competitors could easily copy your idea and sweep you aside with a better integrated or superior marketing strategy. Legal protection may not stop this, but at least you will have some form of redress and a platform from which to build. Whilst the emphasis in this book will be placed upon the biotechnology industry, it is well to remember that the rapid fluxes inherent in this industry lead to a similar rapid evolution of the intellectual property position.
Intellectual property (IP) is the driving force of any business. Businesses acquire assets in the form of buildings, labour, etc. and these have a tangible value. However, what differentiates businesses is their ability to turn these assets into greater profits. This requires ‘know how’, the techniques, experience and awareness to turn the assets to best advantage. This is in part inherent in the expertise of the staff that have been employed but is also resident in the intellectual property. This is the protectable part of the ‘know how’ and is the source of added business value. The right to use intellectual property (an intellectual property right or IPR) is responsible for the establishment of markets, for generating loyalty, for controlling the industry and above all, for generating profit.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Technology TransferMaking the Most of Your Intellectual Property, pp. 5 - 38Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1995