M.I.T. Enterprise Forum of Chicago Delves Beyond Intellectual Property into ?Ownable Distinction?
While the topic of intellectual property (IP) is often talked about and largely misunderstood, a company's IP is only half the battle in carving out market command, according to a local panel of IP experts.
A compelling new notion called "ownable distinction", which is being used as a powerful business tool to fully leverage corporate IP, was debated last week at the April gathering of the MIT Enterprise Forum of Chicago.In reality, IP is a poorly understood "legal fiction," according to Darren Cahr, a partner with the Chicago office of Gardner Carton & Douglas LLP and one of three MIT Enterprise Forum panelists. An intangible asset, a company's intellectual property is nothing more than a "piece of paper saying you have a right to defend it," Cahr said.On the other hand, applying the concepts of ownable distinction (OD) to its intellectual property is how a company gains and holds a strong position in the market. With OD, a company has the ability to ultimately create a market in which it is the undisputed leader."It's not enough to have a clever brand or a unique technology. IP is irrelevant without OD," Cahr said.
"IP has little value unless it's on a strategic vector taking you in a direction. With OD, you must choose and know that direction. IP without OD is like a car without a steering wheel." He added: "IP is a hammer. It's not a pot of gold. It's a tool that needs a goal."Companies often have lots of IP of different kinds floating around the organization without a clear executive understanding of what it is, where it is and what business applications it can best serve.
A notion emanating from a combination of business, legal and branding strategy, OD is grounded in the context of the market's dynamics and its customers -- and done correctly, OD is a force that helps prevent commoditization."With 75 percent of today's companies not knowing what their IP is worth and 80 percent of the value of U.S. companies locked up in their IP, the need for IP to be thought of differently is more pressing now than ever before," Cahr said.
Added Pragmaxis LLC founder and fellow panelist Peter Balbus: "Businesses today face essentially two choices: commodify your competition or be commoditized yourself. OD is the antidote to commoditization."For OD to become a reality within a company, it must receive top-down support and be driven with "intentionality," Balbus said. "It must directly address the question of where a company's IP stands in the context of the market and its future direction."
Balbus, a recently elected MIT Enterprise Forum board member, cited hockey legend Wayne Gretzky as being great because he skated to where the puck was going rather than where it was.One obvious example of solid OD is the Apple iPod.
While consumers can buy competing products that are at least as advanced technically, Apple has built and branded an immersive experience around the device and consumers have responded overwhelmingly.
Other notable examples of successful OD include the Volkswagen Beetle, Starbucks and the Motorola Razr.On the flip side, various companies have been innovative with their IP but failed to follow up with solid OD. You may recall the Sony Betamax from 1975, the original Radio Shack laptop in 1983 or the Motorola "brick phone," which spawned an entirely new cellular telecommunications industry before market leadership was captured by Nokia.On a humorous note, Balbus highlighted examples of other trinkets which were innovative but lacked clear ownable distinction, including an alarm clock on wheels that hides until its user finds it and a toilet paper dispenser worn on a person's head for convenience in blowing the wearer's runny nose.About the MIT Enterprise Forum of ChicagoThe MIT Enterprise Forum is a non-profit organization that promotes the formation and growth of innovative and technologically oriented companies through a series of specialized executive education programs. Through these programs, the Forum provides networking, leadership opportunities, and provocative new ideas to senior business leaders while showcasing MIT's role in entrepreneurship in communities around the world. The Enterprise Forum was formed in 1978 and has 25 chapter organizations worldwide.
Participation and membership is open to the general public.www.mitefchicago.org.
Mobile Phone Ringtones via the web and on audio CDs
Dear Music Fans,Just have a few minutes to write... just wanted to share a little bit of information. I thought that music downloading were going to destroy sales of the regular compact disc. Wrong. Manufacturers are starting to add interesting tools like ringtone creators.
Listed below are a few ringtones I've found. P.S. Complete article with the related links available on the website. Country Music Ringtones, a random selection of country music ringtones mp3 files for your phone,courtesy of mobile1ringtones.------Some of the available artists and songsDrinking Bone Country Music Ringtone by Tracy ByrdFriends in Low Places by Garth BrooksHe Stopped Loving Her Today by George JonesCarrying Your Love With Me by George StraitI Melt Ringtone By Rascal Flatts------Note: Polyphonic tunes sound a hell of alot better than the mono, however, the phone may have problem handling them. Nokia 3510, Sony Ericsson P800, and Siemens C55 are able to receive files for use as ringtones.
The...
Mobile Phone Ringtones via the web and on audio CDs
Razr phone > Mobile Phone Ringtones via the web and on audio CDs
Mino Wireless Closes First Round Financing For $1.5m; Company Focused On Extremely Low-Cost International Call Service From Mobile Phones
Sunnyvale, CA (ContentDesk) April 17, 2006 -- MINO Wireless, a privately held Sunnyvale, CA-based mobile services company, announced that it has completed its Series A round of financing to launch very low-cost phone service from any mobile or landline phone in the world to any phone in the world.
Investors include TNP on the Road (Japan/Silicon Valley Fund), Freeze LLC, AWE net, and a few angel investors in Silicon Valley and Asia. MINO Wireless has developed new technology which has great potential to revolutionize the global international call market, said Jing Liu, the CEO and founder of MINO Wireless.
The combination of a new technology, a ready-to-launch service and a large target market gives MINO Wireless a compelling opportunity to build a company. Mobile phones are rapidly replacing landline phones for local and domestic nation-wide calling.
However when it comes to making international calls from mobile phones, people have not seen the costs come...
Razr phone > Mino Wireless Closes First Round Financing For $1.5m; Company Focused On Extremely Low-Cost International Call Service From Mobile Phones
Best Debt Reduction Service
There was a time when incurring debts was looked down as one of the worst crimes ever. People were punished for not repaying within the stipulated time. Charles Dickens' s father spent months in a debtor's prison because he was unable to pay off his debts. With other ghoulish crimes taking center stage, debts have become a commonplace now. However, sinking in debt has increased with the introduction of newer and scientific temptations.
Credit cards are the most popular and the worst temptation. All of us feel rich all the time because of these plastic cards. We hardly realize the pains we have to go through once it is paytime.Anyway, don't get too worked up if you have bills flying in from all directions. You feel you have hit the bedrock of life with so many debts. You may find no way out other than bankruptcy as the only feasible solution to all your debt-related problems.
Stop. There are ways out of this misery. Debt reduction services are available that will not only...
Best Debt Reduction Service
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Simply Virtual - The New Wave in Calling Cards is Calling for Plastic Surgery for its Competitors
eVoice International, Inc - eVoice International launches it's low-cost Internet Virtual Calling Card utilizing a VoIP (Voice over IP) network. MyCyberPhone, the wholly owned Voice over IP network subsidiary of eVoice International announced the launch of its Virtual Calling Card service today.
The card, available at www.mycybercard.com offers telephone calls from the United States to anywhere in the world at savings of up to 70% less than traditional phone cards.*Customers are able to sign up online, check their account balance as well as reload their account. Even more, customers can program their telephone numbers into the calling card system, allowing them to make calls without the need to enter a PIN (Personal Identification Number)."Utilizing state of the art Voice over IP technology, we are able to offer rates unmatched by most other traditional card providers using the legacy landline technology."...
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New service launches which allows users to trace any mobile phone to within 100 metres in Great Britain for just ?5 a month. Press coverage in The Sun and Metro newspaper and on Radio 5 Live.
(ContentDesk) October 16 2003--Britain's mums are turning to 007-style spy technology in an attempt to keep an eye on their mobile phone-using kids.It's now a case of ?Big Mother', not Big Brother, who's watching you, as hundreds of concerned parents are registering their children's phone numbers at a new website, which can trace a mobile anywhere in Great Britain.The site ? www.traceamobile.com ? is proving popular with families, as they try every method to ensure their children's safety.And other users are subscribing to check on the whereabouts of older relatives.Using the very latest technology, the new service, launched last month, works by homing-in on the signal given out by any registered switched-on handset, allowing its position to be traced to within 100 metres of its location.The mobiles position is then displayed on an on-screen Ordnance Survey map which can be viewed online.Jonathan Cook,...
New service launches which allows users to trace any mobile phone to within 100 metres in Great Britain for just ?5 a month. Press coverage in The Sun and Metro newspaper and on Radio 5 Live.
Razr phone > New service launches which allows users to trace any mobile phone to within 100 metres in Great Britain for just ?5 a month. Press coverage in The Sun and Metro newspaper and on Radio 5 Live.
A Few Easy Ways To Take The Headache Out Of Moving
Moving from one house to another is always a challenge, but it doesn't have to be a nightmare.
Here are some simple tips on how to get it done with minimal stress and strain.
- Look at all the alternatives: hiring a moving company, for example, versus renting a truck and doing it yourself.
Whichever alternative makes most sense for you, get bids from more than one vendor. - A few days before the moving company is scheduled to arrive or you're supposed to pick up your rental truck, call to confirm that everything is on track to happen when it's supposed to.
- Prepare your change of address cards in advance and send them out as soon as it's appropriate to do so.
The post office, utilities, companies and people you do business with, city hall, friends, relatives ? all should be notified of your move. - Get an early start on packing by concentrating on seldom-used items first.
Each box should have its contents and the room those contents belong...
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How to Pitch a Story to the News Media
How to Pitch a Story to the News Media We all have businesses that are newsworthy, right? Well try telling that to a busy newspaper editor! Here are some great tips for getting noticed: 1. Put it in writing. Generally speaking, a story pitch should be no more than one page. If they find it interesting, they'll call you and ask for more detail. 2.
Make it interesting. Say right at the beginning what is the most interesting or unique thing about your business or event. 3. Who does your business or event appeal to? Who is your target market? Is this appropriate for the particular publication you're submitting to? 4. Is there a time element or deadline? Give them plenty of time ? generally 6 to 8 weeks.
5. Include your contact information, phone number, email, fax, and when you're available. 6. If it's a smaller publication, include photos. Or, if you have an idea for a visual, include that too.
7. You can submit by either email or snail mail. I've sent story ideas to...
How to Pitch a Story to the News Media
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How To Write The Perfect Cover Letter: Be Brief--And Be Gone!
The best cover letters are 'one-page wonders.' Why? Because they suit today's busy employers who are already overloaded and often overwhelmed. The best way to catch their attention is to 'be brief?and be gone.' Leave them wanting more?so they'll call you for an interview?which is just what you hope for. Write a letter that makes your point about the job you want, displays your enthusiasm, and clearly asks for the opportunity to meet in person. Put these SEVEN SECRETS of a 'Short and Sweet' Cover Letter into practice and get your phone ringing next week:1. Write a cover letter that fits on one page - MAX - three paragraphs total!2.
Give your letter plenty of 'white space' by creating generous margins and double spacing between paragraphs.3. Use bullets and numbered lists when appropriate. This allows for easy scanning.4. Start the first sentence of each paragraph with bold-faced type to draw in the reader. 5.
Create paragraphs with three to four well-written sentences each....
How To Write The Perfect Cover Letter: Be Brief--And Be Gone!
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