"The Intellectual Property Pyramid^(c) Assessment: A Novel Method for Creating a Sustainable Competitive Advantage," is a new, easy-to-follow workbook that addresses all of the questions and necessary actions inherent in developing comprehensive IP strategies, assessing the strength of existing IP portfolios, and creating a significant competitive advantage.

Entrepreneurs hoping to convert a life sciences idea into a marketable, profitable product may not fully appreciate the importance of establishing a comprehensive IP strategy to stake out their market position and attract needed capital.

"Patents represent only one part of a company's IP," said Alan West, Co-Author and Executive-in-Residence at the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse (PLSG), "IP also includes trade secrets, processing methods, manufacturing fixtures, copyrights, and industrial layouts and designs, along with plans to respond to shifting market dynamics, pricing pressures, new technologies, expiring patents, and emerging companies."

For senior management in established organizations, a comprehensive IP strategy communicates a company's current and future plans to assure its competitive advantage. "An IP assessment is like a business plan," said Jim Jordan, Co-Author, PLSG's President and CEO. "A comprehensive IP strategy communicates to stockholders, business partners, and employees the company's current and future plans to maintain and expand its competitive advantage in the marketplace."

This IP workbook can assist patent attorneys in drafting more comprehensive and focused patents, ensuring adequate protection while also saving the company money. Creating a comprehensive IP strategy is much more than a simple listing of patents. This IP workbook breaks down the development process in a way that matches pertinent market information with stages of technical progression of the life sciences concept so that you can easily identify the product features that need to be covered by either patent claims or trade secrets.

The IP workbook matches pertinent market information with stages of technical progression of the life sciences concept, while offering detailed instruction on:

• Protecting a company's products or services;
• Selling or licensing patent rights to generate cash;
• Creating bargaining chips to use with competitors; and
• Obtaining a monopoly for future exploitation.

Developing and providing access to research and educational tools, such as The IP Pyramid^(c) Workbook, is an important part of The Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse (PLSG) mission in supporting the life sciences community.