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Research2Practice – Rob Merges: Intellectual Property Strategies for Business
December 17, 2020 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Prof. Rob Merges will discuss the themes in his new book, aimed at IP lawyers and business people, whose purpose is to explain the many different ways IP rights are used in the service of business goals — from licensing to corporate acquisitions, from IP portfolio building to enforcement, and beyond.
IP law has two very different faces. On one side are questions about what kinds of information can be owned and what are the limits to these rights. But aside from this “public law” dimension, IP rights play an important role in business transactions of all sorts. Prof. Merges has been exploring this “private law” dimension of IP rights for some time. His talk will not dwell on the tactical details of acquiring and litigating IP rights, but rather will outline how IP can be used to achieve business goals: protecting unique and innovative product features from competition; preparing for expansion into a new market; rewarding business allies; protecting against primary competitors; and so on.
Merges’ new book is being published simultaneously in English and Chinese. Because IP rights are just now becoming commonplace in China, businesses operating there may find it especially useful to have a guidebook to the ways sophisticated businesspeople use IP rights as an integrated component of overall corporate strategies.