As financial factors have proven to be increasingly uncertain in recent years, companies have been placing renewed emphasis on the potential of their intellectual assets. But while shifting focus is an important first step, having the right people in the room may be more predictive of long-term success.

The Apple-Samsung patent litigation trial has covered some interesting territory in recent weeks, but one of the most surprising revelations may be the disclosure of a previously unknown strategy involving Microsoft.

While politicians, financiers and social commentators have been preaching the importance of refueling the nation's innovation engines, university research teams have been turning principles into practice. According to MedCity News, the technology transfer forecast is now looking particularly robust in the academic community.

Although Google seems to be venturing into new corners of the technology market nearly every day, the majority of its early success and value can be traced back to the proprietary computer algorithms at the heart of its flagship search engine. So the fact that the company is now tweaking its systems to lower the search rankings of suspected digital pirates speaks to the reverence the company has for copyright protection and enforcement.

Entrepreneurship and innovation go hand in hand, with small independent firms and sole inventors consistently among those at the cutting edge of the technology industry. So while many factors may be weighing on the minds of these ambitious professionals as they begin to scale out operations, intellectual property management frameworks certainly deserve their attention.

Canadian mobile device manufacturer Research In Motion (RIM) and its iconic BlackBerry brand have weathered a number of damaging defeats in the last 18 months, allowing competitors like Apple and Google to establish a seemingly insurmountable smartphone market lead. RIM was able to report a bit of good news this week, however, after a California judge overturned a $147 million patent lawsuit leveled against the firm last month.

When American universities receive public or private funding for their research and development (R&D) projects, that money does not always remain strictly on campus. According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), the amount of grant money passed on to outside organizations more than doubled the funding reserved for academic R&D expenditures during the fiscal years 2000 and 2009.

Scientists from the University of New Hampshire recently collaborated with industry experts from the Michigan Aerospace Corporation in an attempt to turn years of laboratory findings into a rugged new instrument that could soon assume a role in national security.

California Representatives Darrell Issa and Zoe Lofgren recently introduced the Promoting Automotive Repair, Trade and Sales (PARTS) Act, a bill which is intended to increase competition and potentially lower prices encountered by consumers in the market for replacement car components. However, automotive industry delegates have suggested that the bill could carry a number of unfortunate side effects that run counter to American economic goals.

Washington-based firearms manufacturer Mega Arms recently alerted customers that it would no longer be producing the monolithic upper receivers featured in military-grade rifles. According to the company, this decision was influenced more by patent management issues than competitive capabilities.