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SAP Insider | Jan/Feb/Mar 2007

Intellectual Property, Welcome to the Enterprise

Protect and Leverage Your IP Portfolio with the Strength of SAP Solutions

by Nico Bonthuys

Nico Bonthuys Director PLM Global Services Imagine we are developing a product – let's say a new brand of bubble gum. In our new product development and introduction (NPDI) process, we've captured some requirements in SAP xApp Product Definition (SAP xPD), such as:
  • The gum's flavor should last at least one hour
  • One piece will deliver multiple flavors on a time release
  • The formula must comply with the FDA's 21 CFR 172 regulation regarding food additives
Researchers then submit ideas to our innovation pool, and we group these ideas into a product concept that satisfies the above requirements. SAP xPD's workflow then delivers the concept as a project proposal to management through SAP xApp Resource and Portfolio Management (SAP xRPM). Managers evaluate the proposal and, since the profit potential looks promising, give R&D the green light. We then prepare the winning formula for commercial production in SAP Recipe Management and launch Bubblapalooza globally.

But What About IP?

Bubblapalooza is a smashing success, but in the rush to market, we've left behind critical intellectual property (IP) considerations:
  • Could we have licensed or acquired existing technology to reduce development time and cost?
  • Should we protect our long-lasting, flavor-release gum technology with a patent? If so, in which countries do we need protection?
  • Do we need to register a trademark for Bubblapalooza? Or secure www.bubblapalooza.com?
These are basic questions for legal, marketing, and R&D departments. Today, organizations typically address these issues without the help of SAP solutions – often in point solutions that facilitate tactical docket management activities, but that effectually isolate IP from the rest of the business. How can you close the gap?

Integrate the IP Life Cycle with the Product Life Cycle

With Intellectual Property Manager (IPM), an enterprise solution Powered by SAP NetWeaver, an organization can tie its IP portfolio to the data that drives the business. For instance, a patent or trademark can be linked to objects in mySAP Product Lifecycle Management (mySAP PLM), such as a bill of materials or, in our example, the Bubblapalooza recipe. With this data relationship, executives can get at hard numbers on IP performance, such as sales or geographic distribution data (see Figure 1).
IPM Integration
This is just one example of how IPM balances the legal stewardship of IP with strategic business planning to drive innovation throughout your organization. For more information, visit www.intellectualpropertymanager.com.

About Linx/AS
Linx/AS LLC is a leading Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) consulting firm that provides: strategic planning through a proprietary PLM Vision™ Methodology; expert SAP integration services; SAP-certified product innovations; and hands-on training. Linx/AS has successfully helped small- to mid-sized businesses up to Global 2000 companies maximize their ROI in SAP technology and lower the TCO for IT organizations. Linx/AS experience spans verticals with a focus on process industry.

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