“Commercialising IP” is a series of fact sheets aiming to provide an introduction to the forms of commercialisation that can be useful for the less advanced public likely to be involved in exploitation of intangible assets. The content provided therein is not intended to be exhaustive, and professional advice is strongly recommended when it comes to choosing the most suitable commercialisation practice for your organisation and dealing with the complex legal issues surrounding these agreements. However, with these guides we aim to give you some understanding of the basic principles, which can help you save money and time.

This fact sheet deals with internal product development. Whether you develop software, or are in the fashion industry, create and sell furniture or technology devices, you are developing intangible assets. Indeed, nowadays every business has websites, develops its own brands, even non-technological small businesses. Others, such as many start-ups, only have intangible assets. Developing products internally and commercialising them therefore requires the proper management of the intellectual property created by the business and possibly embedded in the product. The purpose of this fact sheet is to give you a handy checklist of the most common tasks required in the management of intellectual property during the different stages of a product’s development cycle.