The two most important questions for a firm are: “How does the firm make money?” and “How can the firm’s intellectual property help the firm make money?”
~ The Business of Intellectual Property
Intellectual property practices may be borne of law and precedents but the real domain of IP is business. Woe Unto You, Lawyers! who do not understand the fundamentals of business practices.
In “The Business of Intellectual Property” (Oxford University Press, USA), Chris Arena and Ed Carreras detail the growing importance of intellectual property assets from both legal and business perspectives, and offer strategic advice on how to manage IP assets for competitive advantage, profitability and return on investment.
Focusing on the interplay of law and business, The Business of Intellectual Property combines statutory frameworks, case law, business and legal principles of accounting and valuation, and various case studies of successful companies, to give readers practical advice needed to integrate these processes into their own company’s operations.
Gleaning knowledge from businesses as diverse as twin pop frozen novelties to mp3 music files, the authors guide the reader through the application of various intellectual property rights to real life-and-death competitive struggles in business. The various cases studies show that almost any business can gain through better extraction of value out of their IP assets.
This book is not just a text stating the obvious that IP makes money. While the overarching goal of a business is to make money, that goal is only achievable through individuals and The Business of Intellectual Property discusses what motivations support the goal of innovation within the business to gain a competitive advantage.
While not a light read, there is plenty of value available for the reader.
About the Authors
Christopher M. Arena is a partner in Woodcock Washburn LLP, a national intellectual property firm with offices in Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Seattle. He is the former Chief Intellectual Property Counsel at Cingular Wireless.
Eduardo M. Carreras is of counsel with the Atlanta office of Woodcock Washburn LLP. He is the former Chief Intellectual Property Counsel of the Coca-Cola Company.
“The Business of Intellectual Property” by Chris Arena and Ed Carreras (412 pages; Oxford University Press, USA) is available through Amazon.
