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Heading graphic reading 'Step 4 - Policies'.

Step 4: IP policies, compliance, code of behavior and violations

With a plan in place, set the protocols, for yourself or for your organization, that govern how the newly protected IP is managed.

The ten-step IP method

Step 04 / 10

IP Policies, Compliance, Code, Violations

In a supply-chain venture

An open-source portal publishes much of its work on purpose,⁠[1] so its policies have to draw a clear line between what is shared (published code, public repository data) and what is not (private repositories, operators’ data, features not yet disclosed). RIF’s portal design already builds a code of conduct into the workflow: to qualify, an operator’s users acknowledge its SOP step by step and accept its terms and conditions. IP policy can work the same way, as a standard procedure everyone signs up to.⁠[2]

Key takeawaysstep 04

  • Set policies for your own handling of IP and for everyone else who touches it.
  • Teach the team what safe disclosure is, and when an NDA is needed.
  • Write a code of behavior, with consequences scaled to the violation.
  • Explain what the IP is, and what it is worth, in plain language.

Policies, because no one sees everything

Unless you have developed an all-seeing eye, you need policies: for your own interaction with your IP, and for anyone’s interaction with the organization’s IP.

Even in the IP profession, many different people handle different parts of compliance and community activity. Teach every teammate why IP safety matters, and how to deal with anyone who has questions, makes inquiries or simply wants to understand why these protections exist. Teammates and staff often disclose information without realizing it, and it can compromise your IP and its future value.⁠[3]⁠[4]

A business or enterprise is made of its people. They run the day-to-day affairs, so they must understand what disclosure is safe, and when a non-disclosure agreement is required.⁠[3] In a supply-chain portal that includes everyone who talks to operators, logistics providers and users.

A code of behavior, with consequences

It is simply pragmatic to prepare a code of behavior for everyone in your community or organization who interacts with your IP, so they do not reveal or infringe IP by accident.⁠[4] A code of behavior is a set of policies that separates acceptable conduct from unacceptable conduct.

Communicate the consequences of breaking the code too. They should depend on the seriousness of the infraction, ranging from a “slap on the wrist” to being removed from the project or dismissed from the organization.

Preserving assets is essential, and everyone must understand how much they are worth. Failing to guard IP assets is not like borrowing the company stapler; it is giving away the core of the enterprise.⁠[5] It devalues the IP and, with it, any future that asset had. Teammates need to be vigilant and aware of what these assets mean.

Plain language, and someone to ask

The code of behavior should match the nature of the proprietary information, and what is fair. Give everyone who works with the IP a plain, layman’s description of what the business information is and what it is worth.

Another option is a person, or an outside firm, who works with your team on compliance questions. Policies are part of the process of keeping your IP intact.

Create value: the neighboring steps

Heading graphic reading 'Steps - Create Value'.

Step 3: Plan

Protection is not the finish line. Markets move and filings age, so what you created and protected needs attention too.

Step 5: Access

Access is a major threat. If someone who can reach the IP has not agreed to the protocols for managing it, one breach can be a serious blow to you or your organization.

Protect value: the full method

Heading graphic reading 'Next - Value Protect'.
  1. 01Idea
  2. 02Protect
  3. 03Plan
  4. 04Policies
  5. 05Access
  6. 06Agreements
  7. 07Ownership
  8. 08Audits
  9. 09Infringement
  10. 10Document

Steps 4 to 7: Policies, Access, Agreements, Ownership

These four steps lead toward monetization. Set policies for how your intellectual property is handled, decide what access means and how to protect it, put access and value under written agreements, and record who owns what.

Steps 8 to 10: Audits, Infringement, Documentation

Audit your intellectual property and the status of each asset. Understand what infringement means and how to tell whether you are infringing or being infringed. Then document: documentation is ultimately the most important part of monetization. Think of it as an audit trail, like the log a supply chain portal keeps for every segment.

All ten steps

References

  1. ↑ OSI Approved Licenses. Open Source Initiative. opensource.org
  2. ↑ Standard operating procedure. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org
  3. a b How to Protect Trade Secrets? World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). wipo.int
  4. a b Protect new ideas and creations. Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), updated 18 March 2021. ised-isde.canada.ca
  5. ↑ Frequently Asked Questions on Trade Secrets. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). wipo.int
  6. ↑ RIF Industries: Technology and intellectual property. Maynard L. Dokken, the record. maynardldokken.com/rif-industries/#technology
  7. ↑ MarkCrest: The intellectual-property practice. Maynard L. Dokken, the record. maynardldokken.com/markcrest/#practice
  8. ↑ Step 4: IP Policies, Compliance, Code, Violations. MarkCrest. markcrest.co

Every source above was opened and checked on 3 November 2026.