There’s a need for a plain English guide or resource on intellectual property for people (who aren’t intellectual property lawyers) in industry, working on the supply chain, procurement, operations, engineering, or quality control. People whose jobs aren’t creative in an artistic sense, but who certainly do use creativity in their work lives.

This need is all the more compelling when operations are far-flung. Sourcing and supply decisions routinely are being made across borders, with decision-makers dealing in countries where they don’t speak the language and don’t knows the legal culture.

Here are some recurring issues:
• Sourcing branded products offered in different territories at different prices
• Whether a product subject to patent in the country of its manufacture is subject to protection in another country
• Whether a trademarked product put on the market in one country can be imported to another country
• Whether a product subject to copyright protection in one country can be imported and resold in another country, where it is not currently being sold
• Whether a single trademark, well-known among buyers, can be used to identify two, different products, according to country of sale
• As a patent nears the end of its term, what preparatory steps, if any, can a manufacturer or distributor take to launch a competing product
Intellectual property specialists will spot the issues and possible answers. This isn’t a problem. But what’s missing is a plain-language guidance on these issues, for non-specialists.