Crowell & Moring Launches New Intellectual Property Self-Check App

Brussels – September 14, 2021 – Crowell & Moring has launched IP Check-Up—a new app that is intended to help companies identify potential problem areas and the risks in how they protect their IP portfolio.

When it comes to protecting intellectual property, most companies immediately think of patents. However, companies often have plenty of other valuable intellectual property such as brands, graphic creations, market research, and in-house work processes that cannot be protected by patents alone.

IP Check-Up is an automated self-check app that companies can use to get a quick and free initial overview of any intellectual property risks the company might be running. Until now, business leaders wanting this kind of service have typically had to commission expensive, time-consuming audits, and this has had a significant deterrent effect.

“Globalization and digitalization have created more competitors for businesses,” Jan-Diederik Lindemans, a partner in Crowell & Moring's Litigation Group and Technology & Intellectual Property Department said. “We want to make it as easy as possible for companies to think about their intellectual property and how they can protect it, or better protect it, and fully benefit from it financially.”

The online app gauges the company's industry, its key competitors, how the company markets its products, and whether or not the company possesses sensitive information that should be kept confidential. Based on the respondent's answers, the app produces an automated initial assessment of the company’s potential intellectual property risks.

Tim Dieryckx, CEO of Voxdale, said: “I opened up Crowell & Moring’s IP Check-Up app without knowing exactly what to expect. IP is very important for us and for our clients, and the Crowell & Moring IP Check-Up app really pointed right to the sensitive points in our organization. Going through the questionnaire and looking at the results really helped me see all angles of my company’s current situation. I honestly believe that this IP Check-Up app is a valuable and helpful tool and an excellent conversation starter with the Crowell & Moring experts. It gives you a structure in which to rethink your IP priorities – and filling out the questionnaire only takes up about 20 minutes of your time. I can highly recommend it to everyone who owns, finances, or creates IP.” 

“Many businesses today simply do not realize they possess valuable information that not only must be protected, but can also be exploited,” said Judith Bussé, a counsel in Crowell & Moring's Technology & Intellectual Property Department. “At the same time, intellectual property is a very complex area that companies, investors, and corporate lawyers – whether in larger companies, or small and medium-sized enterprises – are not always fully versed in. With IP Check-Up, we want to help companies better manage their IP portfolio by quickly identifying the potential problem areas that may require legal attention.”

For additional information on Crowell & Moring's free self-check app, please click here.