Course Catalogue: IP Management
A strong IP culture is a key component of successful companies. It creates a working environment where innovation can thrive, with employees, management, and directors all working in tandem to promote an ecosystem where new ideas, concepts, and processes are welcomed, work is solutions-oriented, and diversity of thought is championed. It also creates an environment where employees understand their role in protecting their company’s confidential information and trade secrets through sound data security, IT compliance, de-risking, and more. So how do you create and foster a culture of IP?
| Activity Type | Activity Title | Description | Languages | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Module | IP in Your Business: IP Culture | Culture sets the tone for what happens in a company: there is a higher output of innovation and growth in companies where creativity is welcome, and employees feel as though their ideas are valued and considered. This module is designed to help you understand what having a culture of IP means, identify steps to create an IP policy, describe how to create a culture of IP and provide examples of IP processes that you can implement. | EN / FR | 1 |
| Toolkit | How to Implement a Culture of IP – and Why | This resource provides a series of quick tips on what it means to create a culture of IP in your company, why fostering an IP culture will help your employees better understand and contribute to the company’s overall strategy and innovation ecosystem, and how creating a culture of IP can help your company avoid common legal pitfalls including accidental disclosure, cyber incidents, and more. | EN / FR | 2 |
| Toolkit | Key Considerations for Creating a Basic IP Policy – Guide, Template and Sample | Having an IP Policy provides employees and contractors with guidance on the treatment of IP within the organization. It is a precursor to creating a healthy IP culture. With a clear IP policy, you can better support the creation, use, management, and protection of IP. Use this resource to help you develop an IP policy tailored to your company’s needs. | EN / FR | 2 |
| Toolkit | What Every Employee Should Know About Their Work and IP | This guide helps employees understand what intellectual property (IP) is, how it arises in everyday work, and why it matters to the business. It equips employees with practical awareness to recognize, use, share, and protect IP responsibly as part of their role. | EN / FR | 1 |
| Toolkit | Introduction to Document Management for IP in a Non-Litigation Environment | This resource highlights best practices for managing IP documentation in a non-litigation context, focusing on secure, organized document management systems to enhance and protect IP value. | EN / FR | 2 |
| Toolkit | Creating an Advanced IP Policy | This document expands IAC’s Basic IP Policy Checklist and guides small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on how to protect their intellectual property, avoid common mistakes, and support future growth. SMEs can adapt their IP policy to fit their specific needs. The clauses provided serve as a comprehensive guide, and organizations may choose only those that are relevant to them. | EN / FR | 3 |
| Module | Your Work and IP- What Every Employee Should Know | Intellectual property is part of everyday work. This course introduces the fundamentals of IP, explains how to identify and protect valuable company assets, and provides practical guidance on creating, sharing, using, and safeguarding information responsibly. | EN / FR | 1 |
These resources are designed to be flexible. Whether you’re assigning self-paced learning, delivering instructor-led training, or reinforcing key concepts, you can use them individually or together to support your organization’s onboarding program.
| Activity Type | Activity Title | Description | Languages | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toolkit | IP Is Everywhere | What does intellectual property have to do with your everyday work? More than you might think. Every day, employees create, share, and use information that can either strengthen a company’s competitive advantage or put it at risk. The choices we make—often without realizing it—can affect whether valuable ideas, innovations, brands, data, and other business assets remain protected. In this video, you’ll discover where IP shows up in your work, how seemingly small decisions can have significant consequences, and what you can do to help protect innovation, reduce risk, and create lasting business value. IP is everywhere. Once you know where to look, you’ll see it in almost everything you do. | EN / FR | 1 |
| Toolkit | AI Chat – Paste With Caution | What happens if confidential information is pasted into a public AI tool? More than you might think. AI can be a powerful business tool, helping teams work faster, think more clearly, and make better decisions. But using a public AI platform to review sensitive business information can expose your data, weaken IP protection, and create risks for the entire organization. In this video, you’ll see how a well-intentioned shortcut can lead to an unexpected outcome. Learn how to use AI responsibly while protecting your organization’s confidential information and intellectual property. | EN / FR | 1 |
| Toolkit | Loose Lips Sink Ships | What you say, and where you say it, can have lasting consequences when it comes to sensitive information. Employees discuss all types of information in the context of doing their jobs – but where those conversations take place matters. A casual conversation in a public place can expose confidential information, putting your organization’s intellectual property and competitive advantage at risk. In this video, you’ll see how one everyday conversation leads to an unexpected outcome and learn simple steps to help protect confidential information wherever you work or travel. | EN / FR | 1 |
| Toolkit | Patents, Trademarks, Copyright, Designs, and Trade Secrets (oh my) | Patents, trademarks, industrial designs, copyright, trade secrets, and confidential information—they all protect intellectual property but not in the same way. Different forms of intellectual property (IP) protect different types of business assets, and IP assets are how organizations create ownership positions around them. From inventions and brands to creative works, product designs, and valuable business information. Understanding these differences helps organizations protect innovation, reduce risk, and maintain their competitive advantage. In this video, you’ll discover the key forms of IP, what each one protects, and why understanding the differences matters. Whether you’re creating, using, sharing, or protecting information, recognizing IP can help reduce risk, support innovation, and safeguard your organization’s valuable assets. Once you know what to look for, you’ll see IP everywhere. | EN / FR | 1 |
| Toolkit | File Before You Disclose | Protecting innovation starts with strategy—but knowing when to act is just as important. Trade shows, customer meetings, and product demonstrations are great opportunities to showcase innovation. But sharing an invention too soon—or leaving it unprotected—can put your invention at risk. Without proper planning, these activities can unintentionally affect patent rights and create opportunities for competitors. In this video, you’ll discover why filing a patent application before publicly disclosing an invention is key, how involving your IP lead early can reduce risk, and what you can do to help protect your organization’s innovations. Before you disclose, ask one simple question: Have we filed? | EN / FR | 1 |
At IAC, we consider IP to be a teachable skill. But that doesn’t mean you don’t need IP Professionals for all sorts of tasks involved in executing on your IP Strategy. In this section, you will find resources that will enable you to better collaborate with your IP Professionals and Service Providers. Learn how to hire the right IP Professional, and when to engage them. Level up your documentation with the downloadable, editable templates as a starting point for framing engagements with contractors and employees.
| Activity Type | Activity Title | Description | Languages | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Module | Meet the Experts | Need the help of an IP professional but don’t know who to choose? This course has two objectives: to introduce you to the wide range of IP professionals and to help you select the appropriate IP service provider best suited for the task. You will also be guided to create a plan to select and hire the right service provider based on where you are in terms of IP rights (registered or unregistered) and your jurisdiction. | EN / FR | 1 |
| Toolkit | IP Expert Checklist – Questions to Ask Before You Hire | To support you in answering the question who should you hire, you first need to ask yourself – what steps am I looking to take, and where do I need help from an IP Expert? Use this guide to prepare. | EN / FR | 1 |
| Toolkit | Working Successfully with IP Professionals | This resource outlines best practices for engaging and working with IP professionals, including lawyers and agents, emphasizing effective selection, collaboration, and management to maximize the value of IP services. | EN / FR | 2 |
| Toolkit | Template: One-way / Unilateral NDA | A one-way disclosure agreement (NDA) is preferable when the disclosing party is providing confidential information or when you do not want to be receiving confidential information from the other party. Read-only version. | EN | 1 |
| Toolkit | Template: Two-way / Mutual NDA | A two-way non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is used when both parties wish to disclose confidential information. Read-only version. | EN | 1 |
| Toolkit | Template: Sample employee agreement | A sample employee agreement for onboarding new employees can be used as a starting point for crafting an employee agreement that is suitable for your own company. Read-only version and Editable versions available. | EN / FR | 2 |
| Toolkit | Template: Sample disclaimer language | A template disclaimer releasing IAC of any liability or claims related to the use of templates, actions taken (or not taken) based on contents of templates, IAC website or member portal. | EN / FR | 2 |
| Toolkit | Template: Patent Assignment | A patent assignment agreement is a tool for members to use when transferring patent ownership (patent rights) from one party to another. Read-only version. | EN / FR | 2 |
| Toolkit | Introducing NDAs: A Primer for Start-Ups and SMEs | This resource describes the uses, benefits and limitations of NDAs, key considerations to keep in mind when using NDAs, and the potential risks of not considering NDAs in your business. Accompanying this resource are two NDA templates you can use as guides when preparing your own NDAs. | EN / FR | 1 |
Want to ensure you are owning the rights to your inventions? These resources will give you the skills to make better decisions about how to address a wide spectrum of issues related to IP ownership.
| Activity Type | Activity Title | Description | Languages | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toolkit | An Orientation to IP Ownership – Getting to Level 1 | This resource highlights the importance of IP ownership and outlines various methods of establishing it, such as through registration of IP, putting internal processes in place to safeguard non-registrable IP, and through the use of contracts. Establishing IP ownership requires the involvement of everyone in your organization and begins with fostering a culture of IP awareness and protection. | EN / FR | 1 |
| Toolkit | Navigating IP Issues for University Spin-Offs | Use this guide, consisting of a series of considerations, to help you take the right actions when looking to establish a university spin-off. | EN / FR | 1 |
See how our IP expertise can support your business.