Organisations recognise that employees are the life blood of an organisation, and work hard to ensure that the culture and systems are in place to get the best from them. However, often, intellectual property (IP) is not considered a key part of an organisation’s internal systems & strategies; it is relegated to a standard catch-all clause in the employment contract.

This can be a serious oversight. A recent McAfee study stated this grim fact "Companies surveyed estimated that they lost an average of $4.6 million worth of intellectual property in 2008." However, an overly rigid IP policy may also be damaging. Organisations need to recognise that IP policies are not just about reaping IP for an organisation’s gain, but about encouraging and motivating employees to respect IP rights, to understand how critical these assets are to the organisation and be aware of the role they play in the creation and protection of such assets.

So whether you are managing employees, overseeing the IP policy or management, or an employee wanting to understand more, through this course you should gain

(i) a basic knowledge of IP in the context of an organisation’s assets; and

(ii) a thorough understanding of good practices & procedures to safeguard IP assets, while balancing rewards for employee creativity and innovation.