Blinding flash of light - why people don't "get it"

Why have they not “got it”?

In a post at the end of last year, I wondered why I had got it wrong. I searched for reasons for companies not jumping into IP commercialisation.

However, there is another explanation of why governments, policy makers and even sophisticated companies have not “got it”.

First let me set the scene:




Often I have quoted the Ned Davis Research that found that in 1975, 16.8% of the market value of the S&P 500 companies was attributable to intangible assets. By 2005, the ratio had grown to 79.7%. This is an impressive change in economic structure over a relatively short period.

But the story does not stop there.

Curious newspaper article

It was surprising to see myself quoted so extensively in Ireland's Sunday Independent newspaper today.

I was never interviewed for the article, but it was reasonably consistent.

Ah well, it is always good to see IP being promoted in the mainstream press.

Sources of growth - Part 2

In Part 1 of this series on sources of growth, I mentioned that if licensing business is not managed well, the stream of income could fall through such factors as natural attrition, royalty erosion, underreporting of royalties.

The corollary is also true. That is, if licensing is well managed, income from existing customers can be maintained and even grown.

Ahead of the times?

Ahead of the times?

I had an opinion piece in the Finance section of the Irish Times back in January. It was intended to be mildly provocative to stimulate debate. I have heard that there was a lot of feedback, so it served its purpose.

A few people in Ireland who understand IP told me that the idea was “ahead of its time.” That phrase conjures up images of Leonardo da Vinci or musician John Cage.

In truth, it is more often used as a polite dismissal of a nutter.

Sources of growth - Part 1

Sources of growth for IP management

When a company has managed an established program of licensing IP, it generates a stream of income from its intangible assets.

This is not a guaranteed stream.

Economic Policy - IP commercialization as part of national economic strategy

I had an opinion piece in the Finance section of the Irish Times with the title Overcoming R&D's Law of Diminishing Returns (republished here with kind permission).

Did I get it wrong?

Did I get it wrong?

As the year draws to a close, I look back at my big prediction for the year.

A perfect storm for IP?

I thought this year would be the year for IP to come into its own. It was based on 6 streams of reasoning.