Recap AWA Meet-Up: Empowering Innovation from Within

Intellectual property as a strategic asset

The evening began by establishing a shared understanding of what intellectual property actually includes. Rather than treating IP as synonymous with patents, the panel highlighted its breadth, from copyright and trademarks to designs and trade secrets, and the importance of understanding how these different rights support different parts of a business.

Isa Böttiger, lawyer at AWA, emphasised that some of the most valuable assets are often the least visible. She noted that “the fifth one that most people don’t think about that much is trade secrets,” pointing to know-how and internal business information as sources of long-term competitive advantage when handled correctly.

This broader view of IP set the foundation for the rest of the discussion: innovation is not only about what can be registered, but about what should be protected, shared, or deliberately kept internal.

Why IP-Conscious companies perform better

A recurring theme throughout the evening was performance. Companies that work actively and intentionally with intellectual property tend to outperform those that do not—not because IP guarantees success, but because it reflects how an organisation values ideas.

Edit Szodorai, Senior Associate at AWA, framed IP as part of a wider economic shift. As tangible assets like machinery have become less central to company valuation, intangible assets (knowledge, people, and ideas) have taken their place. She explained that “companies who do work with intellectual property rights actively and consciously, they do actually perform better,” highlighting research that links IP engagement to increased revenue across both large and small organisations.

The implication was clear: IP is not a cost centre, but a signal of how seriously a company takes its own innovation capacity.

Culture, not just protection

Hayden Miller, European Patent Attorney and Partner at AWA, connected IP outcomes directly to organisational culture. Securing patents or trademarks is rarely accidental; it is usually the result of systems that encourage people to speak up, document ideas, and pursue them.

He pointed out that protected innovation often indicates that someone in the organisation took the time to listen. As he put it, “you’ve actually said that’s a great idea, let’s write that down and let’s start turning that idea into money quickly.”

This perspective reframed IP as a byproduct of good leadership and clear processes. Companies that consistently ask employees whether they have new ideas, and act on the answers, are more likely to build sustainable innovation over time.

Making deliberate choices about what to protect

Rather than advocating for maximum protection, the panel stressed the importance of focus. Not every idea needs a patent, and not every asset benefits from formal registration. The real risk, according to the speakers, lies in protecting things without understanding why.

Isa highlighted that unused or poorly aligned IP can quickly become a burden instead of a benefit. She warned against registering rights simply to satisfy expectations, noting that “the worst kind of IP is the one that you just like you register… and you don’t really know what to do with it.”

Hayden expanded on this by encouraging organisations to think in terms of both value and risk—where money is made, and where it might be lost. In some cases, publishing a patent may increase exposure rather than reduce it. In others, brand protection may be far more critical than technical protection.

Capturing ideas before they’re lost

As the discussion moved toward implementation, the focus shifted to people and systems. Innovation rarely arrives neatly packaged; it emerges in conversations, experiments, and moments that are easy to miss.

Hayden described ideas as fundamentally fragile, reminding the audience that “ideas are so… intangible fundamentally.” Without clear processes for capturing and evaluating them, even strong ideas can disappear before they are ever considered.

Edith reinforced that IP strategy is not a one-time exercise but an ongoing practice. Markets change, organisations evolve, and priorities shift. What matters most is having a framework that allows ideas to be surfaced, assessed, and revisited over time.

A conscious approach to innovation

Throughout the evening, the panel returned to one central message: working with intellectual property is about making conscious choices. Whether an organisation decides to patent, protect through secrecy, invest in brand, or deliberately do nothing, the key is intention.

As the discussion concluded, the sentiment was summed up clearly: having an IP strategy (even one that chooses restraint) is far more powerful than leaving decisions to chance.