Businesses of all sectors and sizes must understand the risks of not having a proper plan for controlling and managing their intellectual property (IP), according to Louise Pentland, Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of Nokia.
Louise, who is speaking at the Digital Spark conference at the University of Abertay Dundee on 1-2 September, argues it is a false economy for any company not to take measures to ensure proper legal protection of their IP.
“Companies can flourish and differentiate based on their management of IP. So, big or small, it’s simply not an option to ignore the relevance of IP,” she said. “For most companies, having an IP portfolio and an active strategy to protect core product ideas and technology is critical.”
In a keynote address to the conference titled ‘IP in the Transition from the Analogue to the Digital Age’, Louise will outline the challenges facing creative and high-tech companies.
“IP management often gets overlooked or de-prioritised because it can involve upfront and ongoing costs, but it can be short-sighted not to pay attention to this,” she added.
“IP management is a basic element of risk mitigation today – it is no longer just a nice thing to have. Companies do a lot to protect their pricing and their other confidential information. In today’s business times, IP is no different.”
The conference will be opened by Scottish Government Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop, and also features the rare opportunities for legal novices to get a crash course in the complexities of legally protecting their businesses from counterfeiting and fraud before the keynote speeches and seminars begin.
Delegates will also have the opportunity to meet the expert speakers at an evening social event to discuss their own business queries.
Further information about Digital Spark – including online registration – is available at the Digital Spark website.
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NOTES FOR EDITORS
In the knowledge economy, intangible assets can account for 70% of a company’s value. Digital Spark will explore how to use the intellectual property system efficiently and effectively – laying the ground for future profit generation.
With introductory mini-seminars on the basics of IP, interactive seminars with leading business and legal experts, and presentations from senior representatives of Nokia, Google and Sony, Digital Spark will help creative and games companies plan for their future success.
Abertay University launched the world’s first ever computer games degree in 1997. This postgraduate Masters course was followed by a complementary undergraduate course, and later by specialist courses in production management and game applications development.
Further information about Digital Spark – including online registration – is available at the Digital Spark website.