In a digital and inventive age no one is in any doubt of the potential value of Intellectual Property (IP).
In their countries of operation, global businesses face a range of different approaches to the ownership of inventions and other IP created by their workforce – some more favourable to the employer and some to the employee. Adopting the right employment/consultant contract terms is vital to avoid uncertainty and disputed ownership claims.
In addition to protecting the ownership of their own IP rights, international companies need to ensure that their workforce does not infringe the IP rights of others, which can give rise to major civil claims and even criminal charges, such as for selling or using counterfeit products in a supply chain or the misappropriation of source codes.