Strategic Management of Intellectual Properties for Competitive Advantage

- Proposal of a Framework for IPR Evaluation -

Abstract

Intellectual property, clearly, is a major component for any company's competitive advantage in the 21st century. We can see many industries where intellectual property played important roles in aiding competitive advantage in the past. However, recognizing IPR importance is not sufficient. For example, the Japanese electronics industry lost its leadership in the DRAM and DVD business despite having strong technology superiority in terms of IPR. This paper deals with patents that are important components of intellectual property; specifically, this paper tries to define the competitive advantage of technology utilizing the two-dimensional framework of IPR exclusiveness and product life cycle.