Intellectual Hurdles

Perhaps the biggest challenge facing IP asset management software users is getting the property into the system and keeping it organized. "It requires an awful lot of manual labor to be able to sort through all this stuff," says Logan. "Automatic classification software makes mistakes, so you still need at least some degree of human editing." (For more about data classification, see "Sleuthing Out Data," May 1, 2003.)

Enterprises must also take the time to train employees and business partners in the software’s use. "It was very difficult in the beginning to get people to grasp the concept because it was new," says Mander. "We had some people complaining that we were making their lives more difficult." Most of these individuals have since reconsidered their views and now believe that the technology is "pretty cool," says Mander.

As more enterprises begin to comprehend the potential value they have locked up in their intellectual assets, IP management software should grow increasingly popular. But this will happen only if CIOs recognize the technology’s power, says Martha Amram, an IP consultant and author of Value Sweep: Mapping Growth Opportunities Across Assets. She believes that CIOs, already comfortable with tangible business operations, need to take a proactive role in helping their organizations gain added value from what are essentially ethereal IP assets. "There’s an intangible flow going on in your company," she says. "What are its IT needs? It’s up to the CIO to make the call." n