Strategies to Manage Intellectual Property and Related Risks for Cloud Computing and SaaS Technology Leaders
Cloud computing and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) technologies are receiving significant investment, with spending projected to reach $10 trillion by 2030 as companies realize that leveraging these technologies provides opportunities to increase scale without significant up-front capital investment. However, much of this growth relies on balancing a complex network of relationships among entities, including cloud service providers, third-parties, customers, and end users. These stakeholders typically have competing interests that are increasingly challenging to navigate for companies attempting to enter and expand in this space.
Against this backdrop, several issues unique to cloud computing and SaaS can arise – particularly those relating to managing intellectual property (IP) assets and ownership of data and information. Our Clear Skies Through the Clouds series of articles will address these issues by covering a variety of topics including:
Management of Data on the Cloud
How Various Forms of IP Are Implicated in Cloud Computing
Anatomy of a Saas/Cloud Agreement and Unique Risks and Strategies
IP Due Diligence for Cloud Computing Companies
Patenting Cloud Computer/SaaS Inventions
Through this series we will outline the business, legal, and practical concerns underlying these IP and data-related issues, all the while providing a strategic framework to help companies proactively address them as they arise. This framework will account for the many entities that SaaS businesses deal with, the ownership and flow of data amongst these entities, and the risks associated.
