TITLE:
Lean IP-Management—Savings Costs for IP Management Based on a Paradigm Change in Assessing Inventions
AUTHORS:
Oliver Baldus, Christian Heckmann
KEYWORDS:
IP Management, Lean IP Management, IP Strategy, Strategic Patenting, Assessing Inventions, Saving Costs
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Industrial and Business Management,
Vol.7 No.6,
June
14,
2017
ABSTRACT: Conventional lean
production aims at organizing and structuring a firm in a way that waste is minimized and
available resources are used most efficiently while keeping overall
productivity. By adopting lean strategies, firms can produce more efficiently,
economically, and ecologically for their customers, thereby increasing their
own profitability and competitiveness. The “lean” concept has become
well-established in the domains of production and management. However, these
lean strategies have never found their way to the management of intellectual
property rights, like patents. This article argues that firms stand to realize
significant efficiency gains by adopting lean principles when managing their
intellectual property. Lean IP Management not only has the potential to reduce
inefficiency in the form of wasted economic and human capital; it can also
facilitate a more coherent business strategy by leveraging IP rights only where
they stand to have the greatest impact.