Sources of growth - Part 4

(This is part 4 of a 4-part series. If you want to view the series from the start, click here.)

In previous parts, I have described 2 sources of growth from IP commercialisation activity, namely managing and growing existing licensees and recruiting new licensees.

To round out the discussion, there is another source that is often underestimated.

Sources of growth - Part 3

(This is part 3 of a 4-part series. If you want to view the series from the start, click here.)

Part 2 of this series dealt with maintaining and growing business from existing licensees. The next source of growth is the glamour area – recruiting new licensees.

Because of natural attrition of licensees, it will always be necessary to recruit new licensees to replace them. Recruiting new licensees refreshes and extends the scope of the business.

It is also the most visible activity in business development.

However, in contrast to maintaining and growing business from existing licensees, the results often take longer to show and are more difficult to predict.

Packing for Munich

I am getting ready for my trip to Munich, Germany this weekend.

I will be speaking at the 2010 IP Business Congress.

If you are going too, be sure to pop over and say "Hello".

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.