Intentionally building and managing an In-House IP Team
This is my conversation with Carlo Cotrone. Carlo is a Chief IP counsel and a frequent contributor to IPWatchdog. He is also a regular speaker at our live programs and our online publication. Carlo Cotrone is a frequent speaker and writer on the topic of setting up, growing, and managing in-house IP Departments. This is our focus for this week’s conversation. You can listen to the full discussion on any podcast (links are provided here) or by visiting IPWatchdog Unleashed at Buzzsprout. You can also watch the video on YouTube.
During our conversation we discuss taking a holistic view to building an in-house ip team, which focuses on the IP strategy, the people, and operational aspects of building and managing an in-house ip team, including employees,, outside law firms and service providers, all working together in coordination to deliver high impact for the company. Carlo says that if the legal department doesn’t focus on a holistic view too often, it will not be optimal. Carlo says that when you have great people with good intentions working together, you can overcome [difficulties] but it takes time and sensitivity. “When you’ve got great people with good intentions working together you can surmount
, but it takes time and it takes a lot of sensitivity.”
During our conversation we discuss the need to guard against your in-house team falling into doing commoditized work, which gets in the way of your in-house team really partnering with the business and maximizing value for the company.“Is your in-house team doing something that devolves into basically commoditized work, commodity work,” Carlo asked rhetorically. “That is to me the real litmus test.” If you are avoiding or minimizing ‘commodity work’, you will find that in a dynamic business there will be opportunities and that part of growth can come from doing new projects, partnering in new ways with an evolving business.
And, over time, you will find that in a dynamic company, there are opportunities to grow by taking on new projects and partnering with an evolving business in new ways. Carlo explains how this service-oriented mentality has allowed him navigate issues in a thoughtful, intentional manner. Carlo emphasizes “intentionality” in his writings, speeches and this conversation because, as he explains, constantly fighting fires isn’t the right way to run a business. To lead successfully, you must focus on the fundamentals: strategy, people, and operations. You should also periodically reevaluate these elements to ensure that the ideas and plans that you are implementing continue to make sense.
Gene Quinn is an expert on patent law, innovation policy and patent law. Mr. Quinn was twice named as one of the 50 most influential people in the world
