(Apologies that it took a while for your comment to come through, there’s a second button to click when you make a comment.  If you miss it, then it sits in the background until I get a chance to review and let it through.)

Thanks Canuckinoz for your thoughts on trade marks and little guys.  Trade mark strategy for little guys is an interesting one – see the guest post by Allan that I just put up  

We only have a few small clients, but from working with them, I think there’s always a risk of wasting time and money on branding at a stage that is way too early. 
(I’m advocating focus and judicial deployment of resources.  I’m not saying that they should ignore branding.)

Jackie, I almost wept with joy when I read your comments on the necessity of organisational IP culture for successful implementation of IP strategy!  Personally I go even further because I believe that there is no such thing as IP strategy, merely IP tactics to bring effect to Corporate Strategy (capitalised advisedly).  HOWEVER there is “IP Culture”, and an organisation that aims to live by innovation (and without it every business dies) will focus hard on developing their IP Culture at every level of the organisation. 

In my former life as IP Manager for NZ’s largest company I made cultivating an organisation-wide IP culture one of my top-3 responsibilities.  While that was cultivated most intensively with the R&D and technology commercialisation operations it permeated throughout the organisation to the extent that we built an “IP101″ block into the corporate induction programme. 

These days I am endeavouring to make Corporate IP Culture development a primary aspect of my consulting business, as should be evident from my home page.  You cannot imagine how reinforcing it was to have that ambition endorsed by such a wise sage as yourself!  Thanks for that.

1. Understanding what is and isn’t protectable.

2. Focusing R&D on IP that provides a reasonable ROI.