Henry Fradkin
Value Extraction, LLC, Principal, Dearborn, MI, USA

I don’t think I have to belabor the point… this is really a tough economy. Based on at least what I am seeing and echoed by others in the IP and technology commercialization business, it appears that most “licensing” deals are the result of successful patent assertions rather than what is called “carrot” licensing.

That’s not to say that deals that are friendly aren’t happening and hopefully will grow in the future as the global economy improves. So, to prepare others for a return to the environment of friendly deal making many of us enjoyed in the past, I thought it would be helpful if I jotted down some tactical actions to generate new or more commercialization opportunities…and that is the purpose of this article.

To start, a company or organization (and I will use “company” to cover both a company and an organization from this point on) needs to appreciate that virtually all of its technologies and business methods can be commercialized; e.g., through licensing, sale, joint ventures, etc. The only qualifier is how this commercialization fits into the company’s policies and strategies. Thus, licensing executives need to work to understand their company’s entire knowledge portfolio… ranging from intellectual property (patents, copyrights, etc.) to intellectual assets (specifications, processes, etc.) to intellectual capital (human capital… the knowledge employees have in their heads, networks, relationships, etc.).