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The next newsletter will cover the following topics:

Legal Data Mining or IP theft at scale

In the world of AI models a new training method has gained notoriety: distillation. Distillation mean that companies train their models by using bigger models, typically created by competitors, as providers of training data. The resulting models remain weaker than their training partners, but can be offered at a lower price due to strongly reduced training costs. This method is most prominently employed by Chinese companies which use bigger models from the US for training purposes and were recently accused by Anthropic to “illicitly extract Claude’s capabilities”.

IP portfolios in M&A deals in the creative industry

In the movie and streaming industries, recently many important mergers between studios and broadcasters are happening. The latest was the acquisition of Warner Bros. by Paramount after outbidding Netflix. A big part of such deals is the creation of larger IP portfolios and streaming libraries then the competition, which forms the basis to gain market shares in the competitive streaming landscape. In the case of Warnes Bros. a total of 30 Oscar nominations for their 2025 movie portfolio sweetens the deal.

The application of non-conventional trademarks in high fashion

Trademark laws are constantly evolving and adjusting to the ways how offering are displayed and sold via digital channels. One new tool that gets increasingly used by consumer-oriented brands are non-conventional trademarks such as 3D trademarks. And the current case of Hermes successfully enforcing its mark protecting the Birkin bag in India shows that they enable the defence of market positions even in the digital sphere. This may lead to a wider strategic adoption of such trademarks in India and worldwide.

Fixing the “leaking pipeline” of women inventors

A recent EPO study shines a light on the gender divide among inventors and provides valuable hints how to close it. While the share of women in R&D and STEM is constantly growing, their share among inventors remains considerably low. And consistent patterns can be observed. In areas with collaborative research, the number of women inventors is significantly higher. Can the increasing need for collaborative research be a catalyst to fix the “leaking pipeline”? And could it help to move away from the idea of a “lone inventor genius”?

Resource Hub: The Online Marketing Strategy Configurator

The Online Marketing Strategy Configurator is a digital tool designed for IP experts to develop a structured online marketing strategy. It helps define target audiences, positioning, content themes, and channels while aligning activities with the client journey. The result is a tailored roadmap that improves visibility, consistency, and measurable business development outcomes.

Visible expertise: how IP professionals turn expertise into credibility and business opportunities

The article argues that IP expertise often remains invisible in the market because IP services function as credence goods — clients cannot easily evaluate quality even after receiving the service. Therefore, IP professionals must communicate their expertise strategically to create signals of competence and trust earlier in the client decision process. Effective communication does not primarily promote services but makes the expert’s thinking and problem-solving approach visible. The article highlights four visibility strategies: making reasoning observable, turning knowledge into entry points (e.g., posts and white papers), building authority through consistent topic ownership, and gaining credibility through recognition in professional ecosystems. When expertise becomes visible in these ways, it strengthens credibility and ultimately supports business development opportunities.

Davos AI Signals for 2026: When “Adoption” Stops Being the Question

The article discusses signals from the World Economic Forum in Davos suggesting that by 2026 the main question about AI is no longer whether companies will adopt it, but how organizations will restructure around it. Access to powerful models is no longer the primary bottleneck. Instead, companies must redesign processes, decision rights, infrastructure, and governance to create real value. The discussion also highlighted growing scepticism about the usefulness of the “AGI” benchmark and a shift toward focusing on practical capabilities of powerful AI systems. Progress may require new architectures beyond simple model scaling, while organizations must integrate AI into workflows, knowledge systems, and strategy to capture its economic potential.

IP Awareness Training for Inhouse-Functions

This podcast episode explains why IP knowledge must extend beyond the IP department. Effective IP awareness training helps employees across functions — such as engineering, marketing, and management — recognize innovation, avoid infringement risks, and contribute to protecting company know-how. Building organization-wide IP awareness strengthens innovation processes and supports strategic IP management.

Navigating Design Rights in Integrated IP Portfolios

Design rights play a strategic role in integrated IP portfolios by protecting the visual appearance of products while other IP rights cover different aspects of innovation. When combined with trademarks, patents, and copyrights, they create a multi-layered protection system. Companies therefore benefit from a holistic IP strategy that integrates design protection early in product development and aligns it with branding, technology protection, and commercialization strategies.