As companies continue to rely on collaborative technologies to produce innovative products, the integration of patent and business strategies may be more important than ever, according to recent report published by an international research team.

University of Illinois business professor and patent expert Deepak Somaya recently partnered with colleagues from the University of California at Berkeley and European School of Management and Technology to generate a framework for companies struggling to align commercialization efforts with IP regulatory demands. The collaborative report was intended to help companies manufacturing multi-invention products decide how to maximize different patent strategies within a variety of IP contexts.

"Almost every complex electronics product sold to consumers today contains numerous technologies covered by intellectual property rights," noted Somaya. "To essentially defer intellectual property strategy until after you've become successful is invariably going to become a costly mistake."

According to Somaya, Google's patent strategy with Android illustrates the hazards of hasty planning. To make up for inconsistencies in its original strategy, Google has had to make several acquisitions to garner patents and help sustain its successful position in the smartphone market. As reported by the Financial Times, Google's recent $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility was motivated primarily by the 17,000 patents included in the deal.