Book review: IP for Start-Ups

This is a review of Intellectual Property Strategies for Start-ups: A Practical Guide, edited by Stefan Golkowsky, partner, PFENNING Patent Attorneys and Lawyers, Berlin, Germany.

Leif Zierz describes in the foreword, that “this book illustrates how IP protection – especially in the early stages of a business – helps to create both competitive advantages for start-ups and security for institutional investors and investment firms.”

Golkowsky further explains in the preface, that the aim is to raise awareness of IP as an instrument and to provide as clear instructions for action as possible for start-ups and their advisors. The contributors bring a range of perspectives, as CEO’s, investors, practitioners and academics, namely, Daniel Brüggemann, Rudolf Freytag, Rainer Gith, Stefan Golkowsky, Manuel F. Juette, Ashkan Kalantary, Peter Karge, Christina Lubinski, Thorsten Lubinski, Werner Mäntele, Uwe Schriek, Christoph Viebig, and Leif Zierz. 

 

These different perspectives are presented across 10 chapters, which are organised as follows.

Chapters 1-3 are written by patent attorneys and address the characteristics and strategies of IP rights. They touch on the basics of patents, trademarks, designs, domains, copyright and trade secrets, with attention to both auditing what IP rights a start-up has, as well as how to avoid infringement of third-party rights. There is a particular emphasis on patents and includes the law around employee inventions and its application to start-ups. 

Not all start-ups depend on IP protection; but many start-ups can fail if IP Protection is not handled properly.

Chapters 4 and 5 offer experience reports from start-up founders. Chapter 4 describes working within the university structures and administrations to successfully create DiaMonTech while chapter 5 presents the view of a start-up founder who is now the CEO of the same company. 

IP rights are a powerful instrument to reduce the risk of investment and this facilitates positive investment decisions.

Chapters 6-10 provide insights on the IP landscape from different consultants, covering topics such as contracts, with a focus on IP, and freedom to operate, business models and IP, requirements for IP throughout the lifecycle of start-up, management consultancy and auditing, and investment. 

For companies, it is therefore not a question of having as many IP rights as possible, but rather having exactly the right ones.

Each chapter includes helpful examples, practical recommendations and notes of caution. The book, therefore, reaches its aim of raising awareness of the importance of IP for start-ups, providing clear instructions for action as possible for start-ups and their advisors.

Remember you can vote for your favourite IP book of the year, details here.

Elgar Practical Guides

Publication Date: 2022 

ISBN: 978 1 80220 403 2 

Extent: 320 pp