IP & Data Management
Transforming ocean ambition into impactful action that drives meaningful change.
Canada’s Ocean Supercluster’s (OSC) collaborative framework invests in the creation of home-grown Intellectual Property (IP) and data assets to advance Canada’s leadership in driving ocean innovation forward to address shared global challenges. Intellectual Property and its protection is a crucial asset for any successful business, driving innovation, competitiveness, and growth. The IP landscape can, however, be complex and daunting. The OSC strives to support Members to ensure that their IP strategy is robust, aligns with business goals, and leverages their innovations effectively. Our comprehensive IP support helps SMEs navigate the complexities of IP management, from project proposal development through to project delivery and completion.
IP Support Services for Project Participants & Members
- Formulating IP Rationale: Assistance in developing a strong IP rationale for project proposals. Guidance and support on IP generation and protection is available at various stages of project lifecycle, including proposal development, post-assessment, contracting, project delivery and during project close-out.
- Tailored IP Education and Support: Access to IP education through webinars and workshops. Practical guidance on strategies to protect and leverage your IP assets, including patents, trade secrets, copyrights, and trademarks. Advice on IP portfolio management and referrals to reputable IP service providers.
- IP and Business Strategy Alignment: General support to ensure your IP strategy aligns with your overall business strategy, maximizing the value of your innovations.
- IP Assessments and Analysis: Guidance on conducting freedom to operate (FTO) assessments, patent due diligence, and patent landscaping analyses to understand the current state-of-the-art and derive competitive intelligence, including gaining insight into competitors’ IP portfolios.
350+
IP assets
generated
5.7
Average number of Foreground IP assets created per Project
97%
Projects with
Foreground IP owned
by Canadian SMEs
Intellectual Property and Data Management Strategies
Collaborate
Catalyze and facilitate high-impact collaborations, provide a foundation for the development of flexible and predictable IP policies, and ensure Members can secure rights that support their commercial interests.
Support
Support Members, particularly SMEs, in accessing education and advice about IP throughout the Project lifecycle, increasing their understanding of how IP can be leveraged to improve their competitive position.
Protect
Protect IP and Data rights-holders by ensuring project teams address ownership of and access to IP and data assets upfront, helping them clearly articulate their IP to prevent future disputes.
Explore
Encourage Members to explore opportunities to share or exploit IP and/or data assets with other partners beyond a project and maximize their potential to create value for Canada without compromising competitive interests.
The Importance of IP Explained
What is IP and why is it important?
Many people immediately associate Intellectual Property with patents, trademarks, industrial designs and copyrights. However, IP is much more than that. In simplest terms, Intellectual Property comprises the ideas, information and data that fuel your business, all of which lay the foundation for your future success. Every company has IP. Think of patents, trademarks, industrial designs and copyrights as just strategic tools within your IP toolbox that help to integrate your IP into your overall business strategy. If you haven’t given any serious thought or consideration to protecting your IP and its strategic value, you are leaving yourself vulnerable to threats and even potential failure.
Example: Your business has gained some market traction and is growing. You’re gaining customers day by day and even garnering some media attention. This leads to a copycat: someone who has set up shop with a name confusingly similar to yours, and has started selling an identical product. Now, your potential customers start buying the product from them instead of you.
Example: You receive a letter notifying you of a lawsuit being launched against your company for patent infringement. What can you do?
Example: Your key employee is poached by a competitor, leaving with your next big innovative idea in tow – one you have already invested a large sum in developing. What can you do?
The simple answer is there is very little you can do unless you are prepared.
Having a clearly developed IP strategy will help you make informed choices that improve your odds for success. The IP protection tools in your toolbox will allow you to react when any of the above scenarios arise. A freedom to operate search can help you anticipate and avoid infringement problems before they find you.
Being prepared entails making an IP strategy part of your overall business strategy. Having the right IP tools at your disposal will improve your odds for success and provide you with options – both options to grow your business and options to keep your business protected.
