By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch
NEW YORK - As the value of intellectual property increases in the innovation economy, an increasing number of IP owners are trying to guard their ideas and innovations through business-method patents, international trade agreements, biological patents and other forms of protection.
But amid the economic crisis roiling the financial markets around the world and trickling down to Main Street, intellectual property owners often need to weigh the costs and benefits of protecting their IP assets through litigation. Many companies say it is hard-knock times like these that make protecting their intellectual property even more vital.