Michael D. Moberly, Principal, Founder, kpstrat   

Every successful (potentially lucrative, sustainable) launch of innovation, which I am familiar, is obliged to be premised on ‘keeping the mission essential intangible asset ‘genies’ in their respective bottles (in addition to or irrespective of whether conventional patent (IP) applications have been filed or issued).

Innovation leadership (management teams) receptive to this perspective are also obliged to recognize – regard ‘launches’ are intangible asset intensive and dependent, e.g.,

1. 80+% of the value, competitiveness, and future wealth-revenue creation (potential) of innovation lies in – emerges directly from various forms and contexts of intellectual, structural, and relationship capital ala the intangible assets underlying – fortifying all innovation.
2. safeguarding, preserving, and monitoring the use and the various and intertwined contributory roles and value of innovations’ foundational intangible assets, ala collaborations of intellectual, structural, and relationship capital, and
3. the relevance + necessity to sustain the integrity of that specialized (unique, distinctive) know how, and the value + competitive advantages either manifests translates as ‘mission essential’.

‘Keeping those genies in their rightful bottle’ (of course) is a metaphor for various situations – circumstances in which innovation leadership and management teams may overlook or underestimate…

1. the various contributory roles, value, and competitive advantage deliverables being produced by particular- (mission essential) intangible assets,
2. those assets relevance to the overall viability – sustainability of an innovation launch, relative to,
3. the persistent and symmetric risks which those assets (genies) are routinely exposed and vulnerable.

Risk(s) to ‘innovation essential’ intangible assets are obliged (by leadership and management teams) to not be dismissed nor mis-characterized as merely ‘just another risk of doing business’. Nor should risks to ‘business things intangible’ be assumed to be mitigated via a ‘provisional or conventionally issued patent’.

In today’s keystroke speed, predatorially competitive, and winner-take-all innovation and business development environments, the materialization of either reality – risk, routinely translates as irreversible and unforgiving.

Far too many early stage businesses inadvertently relinquish control, use, value, competitiveness (and effective ownership) of their mission essential intangible assets when…

• particular – risks materialize and cascade causing key assets to become entangled in momentum stifling (costly, time consuming) disputes and challenges,
  • often preceded by a misunderstanding about asset origination, development, ownership, and/or proprietary status.

Respectfully, I have found multiple other reasons why those risk circumstances may develop – manifest, i.e., innovation leadership and management teams may have…

1. misconstrued the persistence and presence of risk (attractivity) to their mission essential assets, and/or
2. underestimated those assets contributory roles and value to innovation’s relevance, competitiveness, and sustainability vis-à-vis the launch.

kpstrat welcomes readers comments.