Akshay Kannan - Chapter 6 The Process Laboratory

Business-driven Innovation Business Innovation requires calculating risk and negotiating probabilities Rather than developing a technology and hoping for adoption, business-driven inventing determines what the market needs and finds a unique solution. Indicates something developed with business goals foremost in mind Marketing and R&D have become increasingly detached Instead, an understanding of the needs of the market precedes development of innovations.

IP in the Casino Gaming Industry Move from mechanical patents such as “reel for game machines” to consumer-oriented patents to attract and retain players such as “gaming machines with bonusing.” Ernest Moody- video poker players frustrated by only getting one chance to draw new cards to a starting hand o Replaced it with up to 3 draws- Triple Play poker

Business-driven development in the pharmaceutical industry Celera Genomics- not a drug company; instead provides information to drug companies

Effective patent protection Patent needs to be written carefully as to maximize its protective value. Typically, this requires patent attorneys, empowering attorneys to handle patents Rather than having the inventor pass the “invention baton” to the attorney, inventors and attorneys to need to collaborate to draft an application. This is especially important with business-driven patents which form the core- competency of a company.

Managing the risks Patent expenditures may not necessarily lead to increased protection. One way to manage risks is to make investments in areas that are not changing as rapidly Company should carefully consider a number of factors before investing.

The Inventing Team Greater integration of the patent development teams allows inventors, attorneys, and marketers to learn about each other’s roles. This allows the inventor role to be performed by a much larger portion of the workplace. Even in nonprofit- the Mayo Clinic missed out on millions of dollars in royalties for foregoing patent protection.

Extending invention life Pharma companies introduced “life cycle management”- protecting drugs with a series of patents over time. o New uses, coating technologies, manufacturing methods… Schering-Plough’s attempts to maintain Claratin- broken down into metabolites. Filed patent on one of the metabolites.

Walker digital corporation: A business-driven IP lab Focused on business needs of fast food stores. Point of sale computer systems could dynamically upsell products in place of owed change Patent filed, software written, and ultimately grew into Retail DNA, used by McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, and KFC

Conclusion Business-driven inventing takes long hours and dedication. Moving from a technology-driven processto a business-driven inventing process requires significant investment. Companies that succeed will gain a competitive advantage in the emerging information economy