Role of Intellectual Property in U. S. Homeland Security

Intellectual property (IP) consists of intangible creations of the human mind that are entitled to legal protection. IP includes inventions, works of art, and written products. A host of protections, including copyright, trade secret, patent, and trademark, support the defense of creators' rights and facilitate the distribution of the creations into the broader world.IP lawyers work to ensure that their clients' IP assets are protected, distributed, and enhanced. They also work to ensure that their clients abide by IP laws when using others' creations (i.e., copyright infringement or other misappropriations). The dual nature of IP efforts-the proactive and the defensive-gives IP attorneys a unique position to guide, enhance, and achieve organizational goals. Given that the speed of technological innovation has led more organizations to rely on an array of technical and software-based systems and solutions, IP is an increasingly important component of mission success. Researchers assessed IP support at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its components and found that IP initiatives offer greater opportunities for operational improvement than DHS currently recognizes. The research revealed several IP issues that expose programs to substantial risk.The authors believe that the current funding and organization of IP activities do not serve DHS's long-term interests and that DHS should manage IP as an element clearly connected to organizational success. They also provide some alternatives that DHS might consider.