09.09.2025
How to prepare for times of change? Periods of significant business transformation call for a sophisticated approach to IPR management. Shifting from a purely defensive posture to one of strategic control and operational flexibility can equip businesses with the ability to adapt and renew, says Roberto Castagno, Head of IPR at Neste Corporation.
Historically, IP has often been seen primarily as a protective mechanism to prevent infringement or mitigate risk. While protection remains critical, a more powerful perspective views IP as a tool for strategic control.
In times of corporate decision-making or crisis, organizations need more than just defense. Organizations need the ability to direct their path, capitalize on emerging opportunities, and adapt quickly.
This kind of control comes when strong technological innovations, and sound business strategies are supported by a solid legal foundation.
That is what IP enables.
Well-managed IPR is an enabler
To achieve your goals, you need three key dimensions: strong technology, a well-defined business plan, and legal control of your assets.
Patents should not be seen as assets in themselves, but rather as proxies that help realize value from underlying technological assets. The true value lies in the innovation itself, including software, technical documentation, and proprietary assets developed by the company.
Patents grant the legal authority to license, transfer, exclude others, or even contribute to industry standardization. This flexibility supports strategic shifts and allows companies to respond to market changes while building long-term resilience.
IPR should not be an afterthought
IP decisions cannot be an afterthought, especially during rapid change. Waiting until a crisis is too late.
Effective IP management is a long-term strategic effort requiring foresight and proactive integration.
This is why IP strategy should be carefully built into the fundamental architecture of a company’s technological assets from the outset. It means developing a rights architecture alongside technical and business architectures, with clearly defined ownership and usage parameters.
The importance of interfaces cannot be overstated. Just as modularity in technical systems allows for flexibility, a modular IP framework with clearly defined interfaces provides the agility needed to divest divisions, outsource production, or establish new collaborations seamlessly.
IP is crucial in structuring agreements and precisely defining responsibilities, ensuring clarity and enabling strategic adjustments.
Design IPR to work like kitchen paper
The quest for modularity brings to mind perforated kitchen paper, that is designed to tear at predetermined points when pulled. In a similar way, a modular patent portfolio should be structured so as to reflect the interfaces in the company’s business and technology architecture.
This ensures that when critical decisions arise — whether related to growth, reorganizations, divestments, or cost optimization — the IP portfolio supports and strengthens the business in a flexible way, enabling effective and agile responses to external pressures.
Prepare for changes in your business. Contact us to learn more.
This article is based on the keynote speech of Roberto Castagno, Head of IPR at Neste Corporation. Castagno has been at the forefront of integrating IPR and business during transformational years at Nokia and Neste.
