Michael D. Moberly, Principal, Founder kpstrat and ‘Business Intangible Asset Blog
‘They’re stealing our intellectual property’ is an infuriating, discouraging, and often momentum dampening discovery – proclamation for originators, owners, and investors of proprietarily developed-held intangible assets and issued IP, i.e., various forms, contexts, and applications of intellectual, structural, and relationship capital, ala knowledge and knowhow.
Each party is relying – depending on the sustainability (competitiveness, revenue generation capability-capacity, etc.) of those particular-intangible assets, so, ‘they’re stealing our intellectual property’ is often an initial…
- realization of the impending adverse effects that will materialize, while endeavoring to square.
- recognition of the assets’ attraction – valuation to others.
- reflection that an economic – competitive advantage adversary, or insider, is using-applying your achievements, for their gain.
- revelation that the outcomes may be irreversible and un-recoupable.
There is ample evidence, experiential research, studies, surveys, and investigative outcomes that focus exclusively on these business circumstances, several of which I have participated, contributed to, and/or initiated.
Acts of (intangible asset) theft generally occur along continuums, wherein ‘mission essential’ innovation, ala knowledge – knowhow are either…
- tactically targeted – sought for acquisition and transfer, and/or,
- strategically misappropriated – infringed to converge elsewhere over a- period-of-time.
Adverse outcomes that converge on a business from either of the above (along this continuum) also produce reputation risks to the assets’ future viability and the holders – investors use of same.
My counsel to business leaders, management teams, boards, and investors on these matters is to recognize early – often that whenever a startup – business, irrespective of sector, size, location is endeavoring to…
- market – distinguish its competitiveness, revenue generation capability-capacity, and consumer-customer-client attractivity, etc., vis-à-vis its unique intangible assets,
- leadership is (fiduciarily) obliged to safeguard – mitigate risk to those assets and their contributory roles.
More on this topic is posted-published at this blog…please read and comment.
The ‘Business Intangible Asset Blog’ is experientially researched, written, and produced by Michael D. Moberly (since 2006, over 1000 long form posts) to provide readers (business leaders, management teams, boards, and investors) with reliable perspectives and nuanced insights to distinguish, value, and safeguard particular-business things intangible designated as mission essential.
