What IP myths have you heard?

Intellectual Property Myths   

Think you know about intellectual property (IP) rights? Here’s the top 5 myths I hear all the time, writes Jo Strain, CMI Southern Board member.

Myth 1

"If I pay for something to be created, I own the intellectual property and can use it however I wish."

You don’t and you can’t – unless you negotiated this upfront. This is a very common misunderstanding I hear from companies who have commissioned all manner of items from the design of a new widget or a painting to marketing materials and software.

Myth 2

"If it’s on the internet then it’s in the public domain and anyone can use it."

Not unless it explicitly says so and you follow the terms of use stated. 
 

Myth 3

"If I copy something and change it, I own the IP."
   
Nope. Technology enables individuals and organisations to spot and prove bootlegging / imitation easily. Comparison tools in Microsoft Office make it child’s play to see the commonality and differences in written items. I have worked for organisations who have specialised technology to reverse engineer software and hardware products to establish the degree of commonality in the design and construction of the company and others products. Exam boards have highly effective software that spots plagiarism. Ditto organisations who own music rights etc.
  
If the intellectual property is an individual or organisations livelihood or part of their reputation they are likely to fight to protect it.

Myth 4

"Why bother protecting Intellectual Property?" 

To stop other organisations copying your idea and doing it better, and potentially to create a new income stream from licensing your intellectual property. This can be seriously lucrative - IBM made $682m revenue from IP in 2015. *

* IBM Annual Report 2015

Myth 5

"Does it matter?"

Infringement of IP may be a criminal as well as civil law offence. Fines can be up to £50,000 and custodial sentences upto 10 years. The associated reputational damage can be devastating for an organisation.

What IP myths have you heard?

Join our discussion on CMI Southern LinkedIn or email us.

Want to know more about IP?  CMI Southern, CIPR Local Public Services and the UK Intellectural Property Office will be running a webinar later this year on this subject.

Send us your questions for the webinar

These are some of the questions we have received. Send us your questions for our webinar speakers.

 

• What kind of intellectual property can be protected?
• What's the difference between a copyright, trademark and patent? 
• What sort of protection do they provide?
• How long does it take to protect a piece of intellectual property?
• How much do they cost?
• Do I automatically own the copyright or patent associated with something I commission e.g. if I pay an organisation to write a piece of software, do I automatically own the copyright of the software because I paid for it to be created? 
• What are the key benefits of protecting IP?
• Is IP ownership enforceable at a reasonable cost?
• What does the UK IPO office do? 
• Where can I get help? 

3 October 2016 Leadership event, Bournemouth

3 October 2016 Leadership event, Bournemouth

Please note the link on the earlier version of this blog is currently not working, please use the event link below for any booking.

http://www.managers.org.uk/events-and-courses/2016/october/the-four-leadership-challenges-facing-managers-today

Join us on 3 October 2016 for this CPD event to learn how leaders face the key challenges facing them in today's workplace. This event, to be held in the evening in Bournemouth, is part of a series of events developed by the Chartered Management Institute's Southern Region to help support managers and leaders in the area. CMI members are able to take advantage of discounted tickets.


We are grateful that leadership speaker Steve Barker has agreed to present this event for the region and share his expertise. He said: "The real challenge for today’s business leaders is to find the time to master and control the sail when too many things seem to be conspiring to blow you off course and on to the rocks!
"Over the years I have found that at the very core of successful individuals is the sheer passion to learn, develop, take risks and grow. It is my view that what really differentiates the successful is the determination to remove the ‘blockers to success’. They don’t just talk about IT they DO IT. And this applies particularly to their drive to ensure they are fully prepared for whatever it takes to achieve success.

He added: "For more than twenty years I have been working side by side with business leaders and helping them to take control, build on success AND create time to live their life."

The Four Challenges of Leadership

Steve Barker writes: "As Britain faces the greatest economic and social challenge of the last 100 years there is no doubt that business leaders are in for a hard ride. However the one constant is that our economic wellbeing will depend heavily on small businesses and entrepreneurs. As usual it will be down to them to continue to create jobs and prosperity for the vast majority of our working population.

"It’s fair to say that these business leaders really should have help available to them. And it's fair to say that, when it comes to being a leader, most of them will shout “where is this help – knowledge, experiences, emotional and practical help!” Our recent leadership survey found many directors feel isolated and lonely.

"With all the books, research, wisdom, advice and examples of greatness available why does every leader we have worked with in the last 25 years find the role challenging, demanding and occasionally (seemingly) impossible?

"We believe that four of the real challenges of leadership are not about business strategy, investment, product development or profit margin and the like. The ‘looking in the mirror’ challenges are about ‘me as a leader’
"The four challenges we constantly hear are:
• who can I talk to that does not have their own agenda for my business?
• how do I address the feeling of isolation and loneliness?
• where can I ‘safely’ express vulnerability?
• where do I get advice from ‘wise’ people who have faced similar issues? "

If you are interested in this area of management and leadership, but are unable to attend this event, please contact us with your name, email address and whether you are a CMI member, and we will arrange for you to be included in an advance mailing list for future events on this theme. Your details will only be used by the Region for this purpose.

Management learning opportunities this term

Republished 9/2016   As we head deep into summer many of us will be taking a well-earned break. These moments offer the opportunity to catch up with friends and family, that book we have been meaning to read, and to reflect on what is important to us and where we are headed.   It is also a good time to consider which skill or experience you would want to develop to help you achieve your goals. CMI offers you a wide range of opportunities to develop your skills and experience. For example our webinar programme includes Shared Parental Leave on 8 September 2016,  Courageous Conversations on 21 September 2016  and for our Consulting members in particular, Specialisation secrets & value propositions on 13 October 2016. For more personal development how about joining CMI mentoring programme as a mentor or mentee? Or volunteering to support your local CMI Southern team? We are always looking for additional volunteers with all level of management experience and skills to help support CMI members in the region. Contact us via email to discuss opportunities. We would like to hear your views, do join the conversation on our blogs or get in touch via email.