innovation

Prisoners of Hope: Valuable Innovation Guide from Lanny Vincent

Prisoners of Hope: How engineers and Others Get Lift for Innovating by Larry Vincent is an unusual book on innovation that I found to be a refreshing guide to strengthening innovation with great practical value. Part of what makes this book unusual and, for some, perhaps highly challenging, is that it is written from the …

Prisoners of Hope: Valuable Innovation Guide from Lanny Vincent Read More »

Trade Secrets: Tips Given at the Global IP and Innovation Summit, Shanghai, Sept. 4-5, 2013

I had the privilege of speaking at the Global IP and Innovation Summit, Sept. 4-5, Shanghai, organized by Managing IP, an outstanding IP magazine. This was a terrific conference with about 300 participants, opened with a keynote from the Acting Director of the US Patent and Trademark Office, Teresa Stanek Rea. I got to chat …

Trade Secrets: Tips Given at the Global IP and Innovation Summit, Shanghai, Sept. 4-5, 2013 Read More »

Perverse Incentives and Personal Greed: A Recipe for Innovation Fatigue

A former technical expert at one of the world’s most famous consumer product companies told me of a hiring decision that made $80,000 for one executive, hurt several careers, cost the company millions of dollars, and crushed innovation in a once-promising unit of the company. This recipe for innovation fatigue has numerous variations, but they …

Perverse Incentives and Personal Greed: A Recipe for Innovation Fatigue Read More »

Getting More Innovation from Chinese Teams

So often I hear Westerners complain about innovation in China or about innovation from Chinese employees. There is a perception that Chinese people are great at following directions and working hard but poor at creativity and innovation. Yes, there is a cultural emphasis on respecting authority, following instructions, and sticking to one’s duties. There is …

Getting More Innovation from Chinese Teams Read More »

Patents: Sucking the Lifeblood from the Economy??

There’s an anti-patent sentiment in some parts of the public that argues that they are destroying the economy rather than helping. There is particular resentment against non-practicing entities (NPEs), often called trolls, for owning (and typically acquiring large numbers of) patents for products and processes that they don’t actually use themselves. That sentiment, naturally, is …

Patents: Sucking the Lifeblood from the Economy?? Read More »

The Quest for Profit: The Mother of Invention, or Its Kidnapper?

As we discuss in Conquering Innovation Fatigue, the profit motive can be important for inventors but is often not the real incentive behind the quest to invent. Steps that eliminate the opportunity to profit from invention, though, can be serious barriers to a nation’s innovation potential. The profit motive can be important for prospective innovators. …

The Quest for Profit: The Mother of Invention, or Its Kidnapper? Read More »

First, Align All the Lawyers

Many companies seeking innovation overlook their own internal barriers to innovation success. One of the biggest barriers can be their own attorneys. Lawyers are needed for many aspects of innovation, such as drafting the agreements with partners in open innovation and protecting IP with patents, trademarks, and other intellectual assets. The skill of a good …

First, Align All the Lawyers Read More »

Invisible Innovation: The Blindness of the West to China’s Innovation Story

Maybe China is just too far from the smug innovation circles of the West. Maybe language and cultural barriers make the events unfolding in China too inaccessible to Western media. Maybe decades of concern about IP theft from Chinese companies has closed the eyes of the West to present realities. Whatever the reason, the West …

Invisible Innovation: The Blindness of the West to China’s Innovation Story Read More »

Why Smart Startups File Patents

Startup companies, unlike our “too big to fail” banks, can’t afford to make too many Enormous Mistakes without perishing or losing much of their value. One of the Enormous Mistakes that some startups make is neglecting intellectual property. That includes neglecting opportunities to protect their business, as well as the need to make sure they …

Why Smart Startups File Patents Read More »

Scroll to Top