Classic Rewind: A Strategic and Collaborative Approach to Navigating IP Matters with Carlo Cotrone

On Intellectual Property

Our guests are so generous with their time. They allow us to have terrific conversations about this world of intellectual property, their roles, and strategies for effectively dealing with IP. That’s certainly the case with our featured guest today. Carlo Cotrone wears a lot of hats in the field of intellectual property. As chief IP counsel for Techtronic Industries, he manages innovation for the company’s well-known brands, such as Ryobi, Milwaukee, Hoover, Oreck, and Dirt Devil. In this episode, he shares his thoughts on the importance of strategy and collaboration as enterprises navigate the world of IP.

In this episode, Jeff Harty and Carlo Cotrone discuss:

• What about IP inspires and drives Carlo in his life and career.
• The breadth of IP issues that Carlo deals with as in-house IP counsel.
• Why strategy and collaboration are essential in IP.
• The mindset of collaboration locally and globally.
• Counterfeiting in the world of e-commerce.

Key Takeaways:

• Strategy is about outside-the-box thinking and moving beyond the tactical to find complementary ways that may not come to mind immediately without intentionally taking a different view.
• Knowing the client’s business and looking at IP from a business perspective is an excellent approach for both in-house and outside counsel.
• Collaboration comes down to human-to-human and human-to-group communication and relationships.
• It’s important to find partners with whom you can build relationships and who understand the risk profiles of the company.

“It’s really important to develop meaningful metrics internally, especially those that help hold the IP teams, and the company at large, to a rationality to the investments being made in IP and the result.” —Carlo Cotrone

 

About Carlo Cotrone:

Carlo Cotrone is chief IP counsel at Techtronic Industries North America (TTI), a world leader in cordless technology spanning power tools, outdoor power equipment, and floor care appliances. He also is adjunct professor of law at University of Houston Law Center. He is a frequent speaker and author on topics such as IP strategy and asset management, legal ethics, collaboration and innovation strategies for law firms and corporate legal departments, and professional development. Previously, Carlo served as senior IP counsel at General Electric and at energy technology company Baker Hughes. He practiced law at firms on the East Coast and in the Midwest, most recently as a partner. He holds two U.S. patents as the inventor of technology directed to digital sheet music.

Connect with Carlo Cotrone:

Website: https://ipwatchdog.com/people/carlo-cotrone-2/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cmcotrone

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlo-cotrone-8266752/

Connect with Jeff Harty:

Website: https://nyemaster.com/attorney-directory/jeffrey-d-harty/

Email: [e-mail]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-harty-5a9a1643/