Angelina Jolie’s brave decision sparks new debate on Myriad’s gene patents
The U.S. Supreme Court has begun deliberations in a case (The Association for Molecular Pathology vs. Myriad Genetics, Inc.) that has been cussed and discussed for years. Should Myriad Genetics or anyone else be permitted to own the exclusive rights to test whether an individual has genes that carry a higher than 50% probability of [...]
What is Boeing’s strategy to shore up its safety reputation?
According to flight safety experts, “the expectation in aviation is never to experience a fire aboard an aircraft.” Then why are Boeing engineers reporting that contained fires resulting from battery malfunctions onboard aircraft are almost routine? One reason: the intangible that can kill is reputation. Bookmark on DeliciousDigg this postRecommend on Facebookshare via RedditShare with [...]
Apple’s phantom apology to Samsung results in a costly rebuke
A UK court found that Samsung did not infringe on Apple’s design, and asked Apple to publicly apologize to Samsung for wasting everyone’s time with the lawsuit. Here was Apple’s first apology, found through a link found at the bottom of Apple’s UK web page. Don’t see the actual “I’m sorry, Samsung?” Neither did the [...]
Attempt to use trademark law to stifle criticism falls short
Opinion Corp. publishes … well … opinions. Strident opinions. Ascentive didn’t like that consumer complaints posted on the Opinion Corp. website attracted search activity and competitive advertising, and they sought to protect their reputation by filing a trademark infringement action. Judge Leo Glasser wasn’t impressed. Bookmark on DeliciousDigg this postRecommend on Facebookshare via RedditShare with StumblersTweet about [...]
Netflix to consumers: “Never mind”
Netflix wanted two companies, one without a brand, the other with the top brand in the industry. The one without the brand they wanted to run the business long associated with and built up by the established brand … only with a 60% price hike. The top brand they wanted associated with the newer, presumably [...]
Netflix bungling ignited attack on its reputation
When Netflix’ CEO issued an apology to customers, to whom and for what was he apologizing? Was he apologizing for the 60% increase in prices for DVD customers? Bookmark on DeliciousDigg this postRecommend on Facebookshare via RedditShare with StumblersTweet about itSubscribe to the comments on this post
What’s the value of moving up the list of most reputable companies?
The Reputation Institute and Global RepTrak Pulse recently released their findings of the world’s 100 most reputable multinational companies. Forty eight thousand consumers across fifteen markets participated in the study. “Reputation has become an increasingly critical intangible asset,” says Dr. Charles Fombrun, now Chairman of the Reputation Institute. Companies are scored on: emotional indicators, i.e., trust, esteem, [...]
Should corporations appoint a chief intellectual property officer?
Ben Kerschberg again has written on the stewardship of IP in corporations. He quotes Nigel Page, Finance Editor of Intellectual Asset Management: “Pioneering companies . . . have paved the way in proving that forward-looking IP management can contribute directly to the bottom line and competitiveness, provided that is aligned properly and completely with the [...]
$37 Billion: Cost of “Employee Misunderstanding” To Businesses
by Michael Moberly In the increasingly knowledge-based global economy, wherein 65+% of most company’s value, sources of revenue, and ‘building blocks’ for growth, sustainability, and profitability include, among other intangibles, intellectual, relationship, and structural capital, it stands to reason that sound asset protection strategies would include systematic on-boarding and proper training of the established workforce. [...]
Disney Should Run Its IP “Creation” Strategies Through a Different Risk Management Filter
We’ve written before about Disney marking something they didn’t create; recall our discussion of Snow White. We’ve refrained from writing about Disney’s application to trademark Seal Team 6, mostly because EVERYONE else was writing about it, and few had anything to add. It fell into the same category as Snow White, to us: Disney tries [...]
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