MANUFACTURING AND IP
The first step for any business reviewing its IP strategy should be to check that it can identify where IP is being created within (or outside) the business and then ensure that it is captured. Once IP has been identified and the rights captured, consideration can be given to what is worth protecting.
Factors might include the extent to which ‘first mover advantage’ is enough to protect a market or whether some additional protection is needed, or whether there is a reputation to protect. If the product is inexpensive to make and the manufacturer needs high volumes to generate a return, it will be essential to create barriers to entry. IP can be used to achieve this.
Trade secrets are a vital part of IP for manufacturers. The types of trade secrets in the manufacturing industry include product manufacturing methods that make it less expensive to produce than competitors, ways to create higher quality products, materials used, or a combination of them. Manufacturers need to take steps to preserve trade secret protection. Those steps include monitoring information storage, securing computers/servers, NDAs with vendors and employees, physical security, and limiting public access.
