Intellectual property in inter-organisational relationships: Findings from an interview study

The paper describes findings from an interview study about intellectual property management practices in inter-organisational relationships. A total of 40 companies and public organisations in Finland and in the Netherlands were studied using semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The organisations represented different sizes and fields of industry. About 90% of the interviewed companies collaborated in their innovation efforts. However, the companies generally mentioned that the management of intellectual property and knowledge is very challenging when other actors are involved in parts of the innovation development process. Confidentiality agreements are typically used to ensure knowledge protection in these relationships. Patenting is important for about half of the companies, but joint patenting is not a common practice. Companies in Finland and in the Netherlands are seen to behave very similarly with regards to the collaboration activities and intellectual property (IP) management in these relationships.