Many businesses recognize that most of the value of their organization now involves intangible assets including IP.  Iconix Brand Group Inc. takes this a step farther.  It is an example of a business that has moved away from the old economy of manufacturing and selling goods and services to a business apparently based completely on the value of brands.  Iconix's entire business involves the ownership and licensing of consumer brands, such as RAMPAGE, JOE BOXER, LONDON FOG, OCEAN PACIFIC, MUDD, MOSSIMO and others.  It licenses the brands.  Others make and sell the products.  Iconix enjoys annual revenue of $80.7 million ...   more »

When I speak to business owners, entrepreneurs and CEOs, they often want to know how a small businesses can capitalize on intellectual property.  They wonder, is IP protection for big firms only?  What difference does IP make to them?  Sure, it's nice to know that IBM earns billions each year in royalty payments on its IP portfolio, but what about the rest of us?

Here's a small business success story built on IP rights.  It involves a small group of software developers led by a college drop-out.  Like many developers, they were hired to do ...   more »

The billion dollar cookie is a story about the importance of brands.  Why would anyone pay a billion dollars for a cookie? 

Join me on a trip to New York to learn why.

It's Tuesday morning, June 6, 1989.  Picture yourself in a law firm conference room overlooking Manhattan.  You are Henry Kravis, the leader of the investment firm KKR, which recently captured massive public attention by completing a leveraged buyout of R.J.R. Nabisco, for $25 billion. 

You are in New York for the sale of the Nabisco European cookie, cracker and peanut business.

You're standing in that conference room ...   more »

Last week, I spoke to a Vistage Group in Dallas on "Intellectual Property is Your Greatest Asset: Protect It, Use It, or Lose It."  The Group is chaired by Linda Swindling, a former attorney who now helps businesses achieve success in negotiations.

Vistage is the world's largest CEO membership organization.  I'm a member of a Chicago group and a resource speaker for the organization.

The attendees at the meeting receives a workbook on "The Guiding Rights Process," a multi-step system I use to help business leaders protect their intellectual capital without losing their shirt.  To receive a free copy ...   more »

CEOs and business owners can no longer treat IP strategy as a delegated and ignored administrative task.  Multiplying examples of the importance and value of IP requires attention at the highest levels of the business enterprise.  Recent studies report that IP accounts for 80% or more of the over all value of business enterprises.

In my practice, I find that many businesses have no inventory of the IP assets, no plan for protection and exploitation, no strategy - yet they invest heavily in the creation of strategic business plans, sale plans, financial audits, and the like.  This oversight is akin ...   more »

An L.A. District Court jury has awarded www.malibupier.com to the California State Department of Parks and Recreation, divesting ownership from businessman Stephen Harper, according to this report at www.latimes.com.   more »

Google fights generic use of brand in media, according to media report by the Independent.   more »

Small businesses also need to clear tradenames to avoid conflict, as illustrated by this report on a dispute between dental offices using the names GENTLE PLUS DENTAL and GENTLE DENTAL.

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Savvy business owners know that intellectual property is a company's greatest asset.  The challenge is how to maximize both asset value and ROI.

As companies increase reliance on the Internet as a marketing medium, cybersquatting becomes a growing drain on revenue.  The ACPA and ICANN UDRP are useful tools to combat the problem.  These tools can be sharpened and made more effective through a sound trademark registration strategy. 

A company that relies on common law trademark rights faces increased expense in proving rights and challenging cybersquatting.   Many companies recognize the advantage of owning trademark registrations in their home market and ...   more »