Why Does Intellectual Property ("IP") Matter?
IP is an asset of every business and indeed, may be the most valuable assets of a business. Such assets include brand names, logos, slogans, domain names, software code, literary works, inventions, confidential information and trade secrets (i.e. everything from your customer list to your corporate logo).
For many businesses IP may be unprotected, under-exploited, or vulnerable to theft or infringement by third parties thereby reducing the potential competitiveness of a business and opportunities for growth. Any individual or organization which invests in innovation fails to capture and exploit the true value of that investment if IP rights are not protected, commercialized and enforced. Moreover, to the extent that a third party’s IP (i.e. software) is being used in conducting business, it is essential to know what your rights and obligations are to any such third party to ensure you are not violating the rights of third parties.
