Intellectual property (IP) rights (patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade
secrets) are valuable corporate assets obtained with the significant investment
of time, effort and resources. The costs of maintaining and enforcing IP rights
are also significant and continue to escalate every year. Thus, it is important
that all decisions involving IP are based on a sound strategy designed to
maximize the cost effectiveness of these activities.
Therefore the Endevco IP Asset Management Process involves:
- patenting or otherwise protecting innovations made by relevant personnel
so as to best contribute to Endevco’s business interests;
- obtaining trademarks which contribute to Endevco’s business interests;
- maintaining those patents, trademarks and trade secrets owned by Endevco
that continue to further it’s business interests;
- exploiting and enforcing IP rights;
- avoiding infringement of IP rights of others in carrying on Endevco’s
businesses; and
- taking defensive actions, e.g., patenting or publishing, to insure against
others disrupting Endevco's ability to practice the technology used in it’s
businesses.
Decisions and recommendations on IP asset management program strategies are
made jointly by business, technical and legal personnel: business providing
input on how IP rights can enhance and protect the business to which they
relate, technical providing the innovative and scientific basis for those rights
and legal providing the expertise for procuring, maintaining, exploiting and
enforcing IP rights to further the business objectives. Implementation of those
strategies is the responsibility of the business leadership working with the
assigned legal entity.
IP Reviews are carried out from time to time to ensure that Endevco’s IP
assets are being appropriately protected and effectively utilized. These Reviews
are conducted on a Strategic Market Segmentation (SMS) basis and include
analysis of each technical project that is considered to have the potential to
develop significant IP. The business leadership coordinates the IP Reviews, with
input from the appropriate Market Segment Manager (MSM) and S&T Director, or
their designees. The reviews provide direction on IP issues, based on
established guidelines.
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