(259e) Creative Strategies for Untapped Intellectual Property: Three Case Studies

It's inevitable that good research programs will produce more inventions than the company can use. The unused technology, while often great, isn't always a good fit with the company's immediate business needs, or isn't part of the company's culture. This unused asset often goes to waste, either buried in company archives, or patented and then ignored.

If channeled wisely, such technology could bring in significant revenues. With an understanding of what can and has worked before, one can turn this untapped IP into a positive asset for the company. Strategies presented:

1. Why to involve original inventors

2. Identify unobvious markets/customers via internet-based methods

3. The need for realistic, cost-effective task outsourcing

This paper presents several case studies dealing with the fate of ?untapped' IP. Two cases present successes ? monetary rewards for utilizing IP in creative ways; One case represents failure ? wasted monetary potential from ignoring untapped Intellectual Property.