Intellectual property strategy in Japanese and UK companies: patent licensing decisions and learning opportunities

Abstract

Intellectual Property (IP) management of explicit knowledge encapsulated in and managed by Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) is discussed using the first comparative study of UK and Japanese IP management. IP's role in both licensing and continuous learning, whether through licensing or patent information management (PIM), is illustrated. Japanese companies actively search for technology to license in to a greater extent than in the UK where attitudes to IP are more static even though active marketing of technology to license out is similar. It is shown that IP strategy occurs in a space defined by time, techno-legal scope and technological advantage and that licensing decisions need consideration from licensee and licensor viewpoints and a dynamic not static viewpoint.